National Basketball League Regulations Page 1 of 128 N A T I O N A L B A S K E T B A L L L E A G U E R E G U L A T I O N S 2 0 21 – 2 2

INDEX Page

GENERAL

1 Definitions and Interpretation 5

GOVERNANCE

2 Jurisdiction 14

3 Delegation 14

4 Affiliation 14

5 Nursery Teams 14

6 Management of Clubs 15

7 Team Names 16

8 Finance 17

9 Liability 17

THE COMPETITIONS

10 Entrance to Competitions 19

11 Club Positions and Rankings 20

12 Equality of Points 20

13 Play Offs 21

14 Promotion and Relegation 21

15 The Trophies 22

16 Cup and Play Off Finals 23

PARTICIPANTS

17 Individual Membership and Licensing 25

18 Eligibility 30

19 Contracts 33

20 Transfers 34

National Basketball League Regulations Page 2 of 128

FIXTURES

21 Arrangement of Fixtures 36

22 Tip off times and Duration of Matches 37

23 Re-arrangement, Postponement, Abandonment 39 and Replaying of Matches

24 Failure to Fulfil Fixture Obligations 41

25 Clashes with National Team Events 43

26 Court Managers and Team Representatives 43

27 Commissioner 44

28 Warm Ups and Practice 45

29 Use of Official Ball and Practice Balls 45

30 Scoresheets and Match Results 45

31 Full Strength Teams 46

FACILITIES

32 Venues 48

33 Match Programmes and Team Lists 48

34 Equipment 49

35 Display of Team Names and Sponsorship 49

36 Tickets 49

37 Team Bench 50

PLAYING KIT

38 Team Uniforms 51

39 Colours 51

MATCH OFFICIALS

40 Appointment and Expenses 52

41 Table Officials 53

42 Assessment 54

43 Referees 54

44 Failure to Arrive/Delay 55

National Basketball League Regulations Page 3 of 128 45 Media 56

MEDICAL MATTERS

46 First Aid Equipment 57

47 Blood Injuries 57

48 Anti-Doping 57

DISCIPLINE AND DISPUTES

49 Disciplinary Action 58

50 Disputes 62

MISCELLANEOUS

51 Governing Law 64

52 Jurisdiction 64

53 Severability 64

54 Variations 64

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Licence Cards & Age Eligibility 65

Appendix 2 Licence Fees 66

Appendix 3 Match Fees and Expenses 67

Appendix 4 Basketball England Standards 68

Appendix 5 Basketball England Facilities Standards 70

Appendix 6 Governing Body Endorsement Requirements 77 and Application Forms

Appendix 7 All Must Play Single Fixtures 96

Appendix 8 All Must Play Rule Triangular Tournament 98

Appendix 9 Rotational Schedule 100

Appendix 10 Player Exemption Policy 101

Appendix 11 Pandemic Policy 102

Appendix 12 Live Streaming Policy 105

Appendix 13 Player Eligibility 127

National Basketball League Regulations Page 4 of 128 GENERAL

1 Definitions and Interpretation

1.1 In these Regulations the following terms shall (unless otherwise required) have the following meanings:

“Agreed Criteria” the criteria set out in Appendix 6;

“Amateur Leagues” Senior leagues under the governance of Basketball England including WNBL One, Division Two Men, “Away Team” WNBL Two, Division Three.

the Team which plays or is to play or should have played a Match (except for a finals Match) but is not the Home Team for such Match;

“Basketball England” The National Governing Body for basketball in England, company number 01429756 with registered office address NSC,Gate 13, Rowsley St, Manchester, M11 3FF.

“BBL” The Basketball League Ltd (company number 01998309) with registered office address Unit E3, Leicester Business Centre, 111 Ross Walk, Leicester, LE4 5HH;

“Bench Personnel” a person at least 12 years of age that has a defined role within the Team (other than a Head Coach, Assistant Coach or Player-including those that are not playing in the fixture, not in playing kit) authorised by the Crew Chief to sit on or by the Team Bench, and be in communication with the Team during the Match, including statisticians.

‘Bet’ To risk a sum of money or valued item on the result of an event or competition

“British Player” (i) a Player eligible to play for Great Britain in accordance with the FIBA Regulations; and/or

(ii) a Player that holds British Citizenship;

“Club” any Basketball club which is, for the time being, licensed by Basketball England;

“Club Affiliation Fee” the fee set out at paragraph 2 of Appendix 2;

“Club Secretary” the person responsible for the administration of a Club;

National Basketball League Regulations Page 5 of 128 “Coach” the person appointed as to lead the Team, directing tactics and controlling substitutions, and 'Coach' shall be deemed to include assistant coaches unless otherwise stated;

“Commissioner” a person appointed by Basketball England to oversee the running of a Match, before during and after to ensure rules and regulations are adhered to; and to provide verbal and written feedback to the Match Officials;

“Competitions Review Will consist of three members of Basketball England Panel” Staff with responsibility for the management of competitions.

“Court Manager” a person nominated, in respect of each Match, by the Home Club to be responsible for all aspects of the Match (other than the playing of the Match);

“Cup Competitions” the National Cup (Men and Women); the National Trophy (Men and Women); National Shield (Men); and Patrons Cup (Men);

“Director” a person legally appointed as a director of a Club;

“Disciplinary Officer” a person appointed by the Executive Board to be responsible for disciplinary matters related to misconduct.

“Division” each division of a League Competition.

“Domicile” the country, which an individual regard as their natural home. It is the place of abode to which they intend to return in the event of their going abroad. Everyone has one domicile only. Unlike dual nationality, it is not possible to have two domiciles under English law;

National Basketball League Regulations Page 6 of 128 “EEA Country” the following countries: Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Italy; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Republic of Ireland; Romania; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden and the United Kingdom (together with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man);

Switzerland is neither an EU nor EEA member but is part of the single market - this means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.

“EU Settlement The EU Settlement Scheme allows a EEA/EU/Swiss Scheme’ National to apply for either settled or pre-settled status to remain in the UK after the 1st January 2021.

“Entry Fee” the entry fees listed at paragraph 1 of Appendix 2;

“Executive Board” the executive board of directors for the time being of Basketball England;

“FIBA” the International Governing Body for basketball Fédération Internationale de Basketball;

“FIBA Regulations” the general statutes, internal regulations, other rules and regulations and decisions of FIBA from time to time in force;

“Free Agent” a Player or Coach who is neither licensed by Basketball England nor contracted to any Club;

“Goal Difference” the difference between points for/scored and points against/conceded;

“Governing Body the process of obtaining an endorsement from Endorsement” Basketball England of an application for a migrant licence under the Sports section of the UK Border Agency Points Based System for Managed Migration;

“Home Club/Team” the Club/Team at whose venue a Match (except for a finals Match) is played or is to be played or should have been played;

National Basketball League Regulations Page 7 of 128 “Inter-Club Transfer” a transfer between two Teams from the same Club in accordance with Regulation 20;

“International a letter of approval from another federation Clearance” granting approval for a Player to be licensed in England;

“Junior Leagues” The age groups that make up these leagues are Under 18, Under 16, Under 14.

“League Competition” the National Basketball League Competitions together with the British Basketball League;

“Match” an individual game of basketball played in accordance with these Regulations, forming part of the Competitions;

“Match Officials” the Commissioner, Crew Chief, Umpire(s), the Table Officials and the Statisticians;

“National” An individual who is a United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland Citizen.

“National Basketball the following competitions: League Competition”

(a) Division One Men including Playoffs;

(b) Division Two Men including Playoffs;

(c) Division Three Men including Playoffs;

(d) Division One Women including Playoffs;

(e) Division Two Women including Playoffs;

“National Basketball the document attached at Appendix 4; League Standards”

“National Competitions” the following competitions (and the following letter codes will be used to designate fixtures):

(A) Division One Men including Playoffs;

(B) Division Two Men including Playoffs;

(C) Division Three Men including Playoffs;

National Basketball League Regulations Page 8 of 128 (E) Division One Women including Playoffs

(F) Division Two Women including Playoffs

(G) National Cup Men;

(H) National Cup Women;

(N) Under 18 Men’s National Cup;

(P) Under 18 Women’s National Cup;

( Q) Under 16 Men’s National Cup;

( R) Under 16 Women’s National Cup;

(S) Under 18 Men's League;

(T) Under 18 Women’s League;

(U) Under 16 Boys League;

(V) Under 16 Girls League;

(XB) Under 14 Boys League;

(XG) Under 14 Girls Leagues;

(Y) Under 12 Girls Leagues;

(Z) Under 12 Mixed Leagues;

“National Competitions a licence for Players, Coaches and Bench Personnel Licence” to participate in the National Competitions;

“National League Team” any Team participating in a League Competition;

“National Team" the Great Britain basketball team and/or England basketball team;

“National Team Player” a Player that plays for the National Team;

“Non-National” A person who is not a British & NI Citizen.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 9 of 128 “Nursery Team” an additional senior team that operates, and is registered with Basketball England, under the same Club management as a Principal Team;

“Officiating the appointment of Match Officials in respect of Appointments” each Match;

“Participant” Players, Coaches, assistant coaches and Bench Personnel;

“Personal Data” has the meaning as set out in the Data Protection Act 1998;

“Player” an individual licensed by Basketball England to participate in a Match;

“Playoff Competition” the knockout stages of a League Competition at the end of the Regular Season;

“Principal Team” where a Club fields two or more senior teams in any BBL or NBL Competition, the team participating in the highest League Competition;

“Professional Leagues” Division One Men’s Leagues Only.

“Referees” The officials shall be a crew chief and 1 or 2 umpire(s).;

“Regular Season” the Season up to the commencement of the Playoff Competition;

“Right to Work” The Right To Work is a legal requirement for anyone looking to work in the UK.

“Rules of Basketball” the rules promulgated by FIBA from time to time according to which the Sport is played throughout the world;

“Scoresheet” a standard form used to record the score in a Match, which also records the participating Players and Coaches along with the Match Officials; The scoresheet permitted is the Official running scoresheet only (FIBA/Non-FIBA Copies permitted)

“Season” the playing season which extends from the first date on which the Competitions involving a Team takes place until the last date on which the Competitions involving that Team takes place;

National Basketball League Regulations Page 10 of 128 “Self Employed” working for oneself as a freelance or the owner of a business rather than for an employer. Self- employed workers aren’t paid through PAYE, and they don’t have the employment rights and responsibilities of their employee and are responsible to pay their own PAYE.

“Senior National Cup Competitions" the following competitions:

(a) National Cup Men; and

(b) National Cup Women;

“Significant Interest” a shareholding of ten per cent (10%) or more in the controlling company;

“Standard Contract” the standard playing contract from time to time in force, as issued and approved by Basketball England; “Statistician” a person appointed by Basketball England, a regional representative or Home Club as a statistician in respect of a Match; The statisticians shall be an inputter and a spotter.

“Surety Fee” the fees listed at paragraph 3 of Appendix 2;

“Table Official” a person appointed by Basketball England, a regional representative or Home Club as a table official in respect of a Match; The table officials shall be a scorer, an assistant scorer, a timer and a shot clock operator.

“Team” a team of Players representing a Club in a Match;

“Team Bench” the designated courtside area for members of the Teams in accordance with Regulation 37;

‘’Team Delegates’’ a maximum of 21 individuals made up of the Players, Head Coach, up to 2 Assistant Coach(s) and Bench Personnel

“Team Representative” any person nominated by a Club to represent its interests at any time during a Match (who shall not be a Match Official or the Court Manager, but may be a member of the Team);

National Basketball League Regulations Page 11 of 128 “Technical Commission” an appointed group, present at a fixture (usually a finals event) who are in place to provide advice, give guidance and opinion on disciplinary matters should the need arise

“UK Anti-Doping” the body responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy;

“UK Anti-Doping Rules” the UK Anti-Doping Rules (as amended from time to time) as adopted by Basketball England;

“Umpire(s)” The none lead referee(s) in a match;

“WADA” the World Anti-Doping Agency;

“WADA Code” the World Anti-Doping Code

“Win Percentage” Win percentage is calculated by dividing the number of games won by the total number of league games available to be played in the league (games played + any voided games) and multiplying by 100.

“Youth Leagues” the following league competitions:

(a) Under 18 Men's League;

(b) Under 18 Women’s League;

(c) Under 16 Boys League;

(d) Under 16 Girls League;

(e) Under 14 Boys League;

(f) Under 14 Girls League;

(g) Under 12 Mixed League;

(h) Under 12 Girls league:

National Basketball League Regulations Page 12 of 128 1.2 Where the context so admits:

1.2.1 words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa;

1.2.2 words importing the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender; and

1.2.3 words importing persons shall include firms, corporations and unincorporated associations.

1.3 Reference to any Act, Statute or statutory provision shall include a reference to that Act, Statute or statutory provision as amended, re-enacted or replaced from time to time, whether before or after the date of adoption of these Regulations, and any former Act, Statute or statutory provision replaced (with or without modification) by the Act, Statute or statutory provision referred to and any subordinate legislation made thereunder respectively.

1.4 Section, Regulation and Appendix headings are for ease of reference only and shall not affect the construction of these Regulations.

1.5 Any reference in these Regulations to the National Basketball League (NBL) includes the corresponding Play-Off Competition and Cup Competitions unless otherwise stated.

1.6 the terms including, include, in particular or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 13 of 128 GOVERNANCE

2. Jurisdiction

These Regulations apply equally to all of the National Competitions, unless otherwise stated in the Regulations.

On the Basketball England website, you will find links to Basketball England’s rules and regulations, the BE Rules & Regulations, the BE Code of Ethics & Conduct, and other Basketball England policies and procedures (together, the "Basketball Rules"). All relevant documents can be downloaded from the Basketball England website and should be read prior to applying for Membership of Basketball England The Basketball Rules govern important issues such as anti- doping, safeguarding, whistleblowing, and social inclusion etc. On becoming a Member, you and the club committee agree(s) to (i) comply with the Basketball Rules; and (ii) ensure that individual members of your club also comply with the Basketball Rules when taking part in any Basketball activity.

3. Delegation The Executive Board has delegated responsibility for the National Competitions to the Competitions Review Panel. Responsibility for the decisions of the Competitions Review Panel is vested in Basketball England’s professional officers.

4. Affiliation

4.1 In order to participate in any of the National Competitions, a Club must be affiliated to Basketball England.

4.2 Where a Club’s normal home venue is situated outside England that Club shall ensure that it is affiliated to:

4.2.1 Basketball England; and

4.2.2 the appropriate governing body in the country in which its home venue is situated,

PROVIDED THAT the application for affiliation to Basketball England is endorsed and approved by the governing body referred to in Regulation 4.2.2 above.

5. Nursery Teams

5.1 No Nursery Teams, or Clubs having any official or unofficial obligation to or connection with another Club in the BBL, WBBL, National Basketball League is permitted to participate in:

5.1.1 the same Division as its Principal Team (without the prior approval of Basketball England); and/or

5.1.2 the Senior National Cup Competitions.

5.2 A Nursery Team may contract directly with Players on its behalf and novate such rights under that contract in favour of its Principal Team, PROVIDED THAT provisions enabling this are specified in the Player’s contract.

5.3 A Nursery Team may use the same team-name and/or the same home venue as that of its Principal Team. Where a Nursery Team does not use the same home

National Basketball League Regulations Page 14 of 128 venue as its Principal Team, the Nursery Team must use a home venue within a 11-mile radius of the home venue of its Principal Team.

5.4 Where a Club fields a Principal Team and Nursery Team(s) in a BBL, WBBL or National Basketball League Competition, all senior players shall only be licensed for one Team, with no movement permitted between the Teams except where a formal transfer occurs (in accordance with Regulation 20 below).

5.5 Notwithstanding Regulation 5.4 above, any Under 23 British Player licensed for the Nursery Team, may be listed on the Scoresheet for the Principal Team during the Season (“Play-Up”). For the avoidance of doubt, there is no limit or restriction on the number of Matches an Under 23 Player can Play-Up. Players licensed for the Principal Team are not permitted to be listed on the Scoresheet for the Nursery Team (“Play-Down”). 5.6 Any Under 23 Player that plays-up must participate in:

5.6.1 fifty percent (50%) of Regular Season Matches for the Nursery Team in order to qualify for the Nursery Team play-off Matches; and

5.6.2 fifty percent (50%) of National Cup/Mens National Trophy/Patrons Cup/ Mens National Shield/ Women’s National Trophy Matches in order to qualify for the Nursery Team finals of that tournament.

For clarity, this only applies to players in the Under 23 category, Under 18 players are able to Play up in a senior team without restriction.

5.7 It is intended that Nursery Teams should primarily exist to enable young players who are no longer Under 18, or who are exceptionally talented and therefore unsuited to play in the Under 18 competitions, to participate at a higher level. Permission for a Nursery Team to participate in the National Basketball League is therefore dependent on the operation of this philosophy, and Basketball England reserves the right to withdraw permission for a Nursery Team to participate in the National Competitions if Basketball England is of the opinion (in its sole discretion) that this philosophy is not being respected.

5.8 In all other respects in these Regulations a reference to a Club shall be considered to apply equally to a Nursery Team, and Nursery Teams must conform to these Regulations in the same way as all other Clubs, unless there is a specific statement to the contrary. In particular, a Nursery Team must always promote its Matches, as if it is a standalone Club, and comply with the National Basketball League Standards.

5.9 Any Club found to have breached Regulations 5.5 to 5.9 (inclusive) above may be disqualified from the particular Competition in which such breach occurred and may also be fined and/or have League points deducted.

6 Management of Clubs

6.1 All Clubs shall register with Basketball England the name of the company or other legal entity that is responsible for controlling the affairs of the Club, or the names of at least three persons who are responsible for the management of the Club. If the Club is under the control of a company or other legal entity, this company shall register with Basketball England the names of the persons designated as Directors of that company and submit a copy of its memorandum and articles. Where a Club is not controlled by a company, the names of the persons responsible for the management of the Club shall be considered to be the Directors, and these shall be subject to approval by Basketball England.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 15 of 128 6.2 The name of the Club Secretary shall be registered with Basketball England. This person may (but need not necessarily) be a Director, and may (but need not necessarily) be the secretary of the company controlling the Club. In the case of a company, the name of the company secretary shall also be registered with Basketball England. All actions by the Club Secretary are deemed to carry the full authority of the club unless and until such time as an action may be countermanded by a mandate supported by a majority of the Directors. A Club is deemed to be responsible for actions by its Directors relating to the Sport, (which may include, but is not limited to, public statements, letters to the media and approaches to players licensed to play for other clubs).

6.3 No person may be added to or deleted from the list of Directors of a Club, except by a written statement signed by a majority of the other Directors, or by a decision of the company, unless such Director(s) submit their resignation in writing.

6.4 No person may:

6.4.1 be a Director or a Club Secretary of more than one Club at the same time; or

6.4.2 have a Significant Interest in more than one Club at the same time; or

6.4.3 have a Significant Interest in a Club and be a Director or Club Secretary of another Club; or

6.4.4 be a Director or Club Secretary or have a Significant Interest in one Club and be a licence holder for another Club, except where the Clubs are competing in mutually exclusive competitions.

6.5 Where a Director and/or Club Secretary applies to be registered for another Club, such application automatically constitutes a statement of resignation as a Director, Club Secretary, or other officer of the first Club, except that where the person is registered as a Director of a Club-company, their application to be licensed for another Club cannot be approved until such time as they are officially removed from the list of Directors of that company. Failure to notify Basketball England of dual membership would be a breach of these Regulations and may be referred to the Disciplinary Officer.

6.6 A Club Secretary may only be replaced by a mandate supported by a majority of the Directors, unless the Club Secretary resigns, in which case the existing Directors shall nominate a new Club Secretary as soon as possible.

6.7 All communications between a Club or Team and Basketball England will be conducted through the Club or Team Secretary unless the Club or Team has informed Basketball England of a nominated alternative. The Club shall notify Basketball England in writing of any permanent or temporary change to the Club Secretary.

6.8 Each Club in the National Basketball League shall comply with the National Basketball League Standards and have an adequate level of administration to enable it to discharge the essential functions of a Club to a level acceptable to Basketball England.

6.9 Each club within the National Basketball League shall have a Club Welfare Officer and dedicated DBS verifier. Their details shall be registered with Basketball England and CWO’s will maintain current safeguarding training to at least a Level 2 and maintain a current enhanced DBS (valid for three years) also

National Basketball League Regulations Page 16 of 128 supplied to Basketball England.

6.10 Each Club in the National Basketball League shall promote, present and develop the Sport to the best of its ability, and at a level of competence and suitability to the satisfaction of Basketball England.

7 Team names

7.1 All team names are subject to final approval by Basketball England.

7.2 All team names must include a specific geographical location (the county, city or town where the Team / venue is based). A nickname can also be included (Rockets, Magic etc).

7.3 Any club sponsor names are subject to approval by Basketball England. The approved geographical location, nickname and Sponsor will be used in Basketball England’s official schedules.

8 Finance

8.1 Each Club in the National Basketball League must display adequate levels of finance to enable it to perform in all respects in a manner that is consistent with its status.

8.2 Each Club shall keep accounting records which:

8.2.1 are sufficient to show and explain the Clubs’ transactions;

8.2.2 are such as to disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the Club at that time;

8.2.3 comply with any legal requirements applicable to the Club;

8.2.4 comply with such provisions as may from time to time be reasonably specified by Basketball England; and

8.2.5 comply with such requirements as are contained in the FIBA Regulations or regulations made thereunder from time to time.

8.3 In the event that Basketball England considers that a Club may be unable to fulfil its obligations under these Regulations then Basketball England shall be entitled to require such Club to provide to Basketball England and/or its appointed representatives or advisers such accounting records referred to in Regulation 8.2 as Basketball England deems necessary.

8.4 Such accounting records shall be kept confidential by Basketball England and its appointed representatives and advisers save as required by law or to the extent that the same are in the public domain otherwise than by reason of a breach of the provisions of this Regulation 8.4.

9 Liability

Each Club agrees to indemnify Basketball England (together with its members, officers, employees and contractors) from and against any and all costs, damages, losses, expenses and/or claims (including but not limited to claims for loss of profit or income and reasonable legal or professional fees) which may be made by any third party and which are a consequence, whether directly or

National Basketball League Regulations Page 17 of 128 indirectly, of the Club not complying with these Regulations (whether wilfully, negligently by action or omission or otherwise howsoever) and whether or not such loss was foreseeable by Basketball England and/or the relevant Club at the time of the Club's agreement to be bound by these Regulation.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 18 of 128 THE NATIONAL COMPETITIONS

10 Entrance to the National Competitions

10.1 Approval

10.1.1 Basketball England reserves the sole right to decide which Clubs/Teams will be accepted to participate in the National Competitions and the Division that each Team will compete in.

10.1.2 Basketball England shall be responsible for the selection of Teams to compete in the National Basketball League for the following Season, and of Teams to compete in tournaments organised by Basketball England.

10.1.3 A Club/Team shall be entitled to appeal the decision of Basketball England made in accordance with Regulation 10.1.1 and/or 10.1.2 PROVIDED THAT such appeal is made in accordance with Regulation 49.5

Any appeal lodged regarding the selection of the teams to compete in Basketball England National Competitions should be made in line with regulation 49.5. Appeals associated with the selection of teams will be heard by Appeals Panel.

10.2 Entrance Fees

10.2.1 Applications to enter the National Basketball League must be accompanied with payment of the full Entry Fee by 1st June preceding the year in question.

10.2.2. The Entry Fee is automatically forfeited if the Club withdraws their entry. If entry in to any Competition is declined the Entry Fee will be refunded in full.

10.2.3 All Clubs (must also pay an annual Club Affiliation Fee to be received by Basketball England no later than 1 September preceding the season in question.

10.3 Surety Fees

10.3.1 All Clubs must place a Surety Fee on deposit with Basketball England by 1 June preceding the Season.

10.3.2 Where a Club has two or more Senior Teams competing in the NBL, it shall pay an additional fee of £200 for each of its 'second' Teams over and above the single Surety Fee it has lodged. The single Surety Fee will always be paid at the highest level as indicated in Appendix 2.

10.3.3 Where a Club has Surety Fee at the end of the Season and intends to participate in the NBL in the following Season, the Surety Fee will be retained by Basketball England throughout the close season period. Where a club does not make an entry into the league, Basketball England will refund the money by BACS. However, where a club does not fulfil this request by the 31 December following the previous season the team played within the league, Basketball England will retain the surety fee.

10.3.4 Where a Team withdraws from a competition the following fines will apply:

National Basketball League Regulations Page 19 of 128 a) If a team in the senior NBL or Jnr. NBL Premier Leagues withdraw from a competition before June 30th preceding the season in question, Basketball England will refund the surety fee only. After June 30th Basketball England shall be entitled to retain half of the surety fee. After the 31st August Basketball England will retain the surety fee in addition to any fines that may be levied in accordance with Regulation 49.16. Any remaining funds will then be refunded to the club via BACS. b) If a Jnr. NBL Conference League team withdraws from a competition before June 30th preceding the season in question, Basketball England will refund the entry fee and surety fee in full. After the 30th June Basketball England shall be entitled to retain the half of the surety fee, the remaining funds will be refunded. After 31st August the full amount will be retained by Basketball England. C) in addition to any fines that may be levied in accordance with Regulation 49.16. Any remaining funds will then be refunded to the club via BACS

10.4 Entry to Cup Competitions

10.4.1 Entry to the senior competitions shall include automatic entry into Cup Competitions for which the Club is eligible unless the Club informs Basketball England that it does not wish to participate in these Cup Competitions prior to 1st June preceding the Season in question SAVE IN RESPECT OF Division 1 Men & Women and Division 2 Men, where participation in all Cup Competitions is mandatory.

10.4.2 Clubs that have not applied for entry to the NBL may enter the Women’s National Cup competition by making an application to Basketball England no later than 1st June preceding the Season. An entry fee of £50.00 must accompany such applications.

11 Club Positions and League Rankings.

11.1 The League positions shall be determined by awarding:

11.1.1 two points for a win and zero for a loss in senior leagues; and

11.1.2 three points for a win and one point for a loss in all age group competitions.

11.2 Zero points shall be awarded for a Match lost by default or forfeit. In the event that a Match is lost by default or forfeit, Basketball England may also deduct a number of points as it considers to be appropriate in accordance with Regulation 24.3.

12 Equality of Points

12.1 In the event that two or more Teams have the same number of league points at the end of the Season, the positions of such Teams in the league shall be determined as follows:

12.1.1 Where two Teams are tied, the result(s) of the Match(es) between the two Teams involved shall determine the positions.

12.1.2 In the event that the total points scored and conceded are the same in the Matches between the two Teams, the positions will be determined by Goal Difference taking into account the results of all the Matches played

National Basketball League Regulations Page 20 of 128 in the league by both Teams.

12.1.3 If more than two Teams are tied, the positions will be determined by taking into account only the results of the Matches between the Teams that are tied.

12.1.4 In the event that there are still Teams tied after the process set out in Regulation 12.1.3 above, then Goal Difference will be used to determine the positions, taking into account only the results of the Matches between the Teams still tied.

12.1.5 If there are still Teams tied, the positions will be determined using Goal Difference from the results of all the Matches played by those Teams in the league.

12.1.6 If at any stage through the process set out in Regulations 12.1.3 to 12.1.5 (inclusive), a multiple tie is reduced to a tie involving only two Teams, the procedure in Regulations 12.1.1 and 12.1.2 will be applied.

12.1.7 If it is reduced to a tie still involving more than two Teams, the procedure beginning with Regulation 12.1.3 shall be repeated.

13 Playoffs

13.1 Senior Competitions:

Playoff Competitions for the Men’s and Women’s National Basketball League will take place at the completion of the Regular Season usually involving (but not restricted to) the eight highest placed Teams in each Division. Playoff formats will be published by Basketball England prior to the commencement of the Regular Season.

13.2 Age-Group Competitions:

Playoff Matches will be played as single leg matches on the home courts of one of the competing teams unless otherwise decided by Basketball England, for example a Final Four Tournament. Playoff formats will be published by Basketball England prior to the commencement of the Regular Season.

14 Promotion and Relegation

14.1 Promotion and Relegation is determined on final league positions over the full season; playoff and cup competitions are not taken into account.

14.2 Teams which finish in first and second places in:

14.2.1 Division Two Men may make an application to join Division One Men;

14.2.2 Division Three Men may make an application to join Division Two Men;

14.2.4 Division Two Women may make an application to join Division One Women,

14.2.5 Jnr.NBL Conference teams can make an application to join the premier level competition at the same age group that they were placed in first or second place only in the conference league competition, not all applications will be authorised due to join the premier level.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 21 of 128 PROVIDED THAT such Clubs fulfil the National Basketball League Standards for the relevant Division.

14.3 Any Team:

14.3.1 that finishes in the bottom two places in of Division One Men, or does not meet the National Basketball League Recommended Standards, will be relegated to Division Two Men;

14.3.2 that finishes in the bottom two places of Division Two Men or does not meet the National Basketball League Recommended Standards will be relegated to Division Three Men;

14.3.3 that finishes in the bottom two places in Division One Women, or does not meet the required standards, will be relegated to Division Two Women unless otherwise decided by Basketball England.

14. 3. 4 that finishes in the bottom two places (11th and 12th) in the Jnr.NBL Premier level competition, or does not meet the required standards will be relegated to the conference level at the same age group unless otherwise decided byBasketball England.

Relegation places are based on the size of the league at the start of the season, optimal league size is maximum of 12 teams.

14.4 Basketball England shall be entitled to withdraw the licence of any Club to play in the National Basketball League where that Club:

14.4.1 finishes in last place in the lowest Division of its relevant League; and/or

14.4.2 finishes in first or second place in Division Two or Division Three Men in two successive seasons and fails to apply for promotion.

14.5 The performance of all Clubs with regard to their compliance with these and other relevant regulations issued by Basketball England shall normally be reviewed on both 30th November and 31st January during the playing season. Clubs will be advised in writing of perceived shortcomings and the remedial action necessary. This will be based on the Basketball England Standards Document. Basketball England shall be entitled to take whatever action it deems appropriate for Clubs consistently failing to comply with appropriate rules & regulations.

15 The Trophies

15.1 All trophies awarded to League and/or Cup winners remain the property of Basketball England. When the winning Clubs have been ascertained, Basketball England will present the appropriate trophy to that Club, who will be responsible for its return to Basketball England, prior to 1 September of the following Season, in good order and condition. In the event that a trophy is not returned by this date, Basketball England shall be entitled to collect the trophy, at the cost of the Club. Basketball England shall keep the trophies at all other times.

15.2 Should a trophy be damaged whilst under the care or custody of a Club, the Club shall be liable to pay to Basketball England either (in the sole discretion of Basketball England) (i) an amount equal to the value of the trophy (at the time such damage occurred); or (ii) or an amount equal to the cost of complete repair. Should a trophy be lost, destroyed or damaged beyond repair whilst under the care and/or custody of a Club, the Club may be required to pay to Basketball

National Basketball League Regulations Page 22 of 128 England a sum equivalent to the present value of the trophy in addition to any other penalty that Basketball England may impose. 15.3 Basketball England will present 16 individual mementoes to the Teams which have finished in first and second place in all Senior National Competitions.

15.4 No additional identical mementoes will be awarded or purchased other than those set out in Regulations 15.3 and 15.5.

15.5 Basketball England will present mementoes to the Players and Coaches that participate in the Cup and Playoff Finals. When a Player or Coach taking part is disqualified for misconduct, the memento to which they may be entitled in accordance with this Regulation 15.5 may be withheld at the discretion of Basketball England.

6. Where the ‘End of the Regular season Awards nominations are applied to leagues, it is compulsory for all teams to provide nominations and votes for these awards. This is a mandatory process and any teams that do not provide these submissions will be fined £100.00 in line with regulation 49.16.

16 Cup and Playoff Finals

Senior Competitions:

16.1 Basketball England will arrange for the organisation and promotion of the Cup Finals and the League Play-off Finals as appropriate. At such events, Bench Personnel must be dressed in smart clothing, tracksuits and denim are not permitted save that a Team manager and/or physiotherapist may wear a Team tracksuit.

16.2 A Technical Commission will, in respect of each Cup Final and League Playoff Final organised by Basketball England, be nominated by Basketball England to take responsibility for disciplinary action and such other decisions related to such Match as may from time to time be necessary.

16.3 In the event that Basketball England appoints an organisation, Club or individual to promote the Cup Final or League Playoff Final on its behalf, such promoter shall be responsible for providing benefits for each competing Club as agreed with Basketball England. However, Basketball England shall ensure that the promoter reserves a minimum of 100 tickets for any Cup Final and/or League Playoff Final for a competing Club to purchase. These tickets shall remain available for the competing Clubs until 10 days prior to the event unless otherwise agreed with the event promoter.

16.4 In addition to the reserved tickets made available in accordance with Regulation 16.3 above, each competing Club will receive a maximum of 21 event tickets/event passes for use amongst the competitors and bench personnel of the competing Club. These event tickets/event passes are not transferable and must be held by licensed bench personnel.

Age-Group Competitions:

16.5 Junior National Cup and Play-off Finals will be played at a neutral venue unless otherwise decided by Basketball England. At such events, Bench Personnel must be dressed in smart clothing, tracksuits and denim are not permitted save that a Team manager and/or physiotherapist may wear a Team tracksuit.

16.6 Basketball England will normally present mementoes to the players and coaches that participate in the Finals. When a player or coach taking part is disqualified

National Basketball League Regulations Page 23 of 128 during any part of the Final, the memento to which they may be entitled may be withheld at the discretion of Basketball England.

16.7 Each competing Club will receive a maximum of 21 event tickets/event passes for use amongst the competitors and bench personnel of the competing Club. These event tickets/event passes are not transferable and must be held by licensed bench personnel.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 24 of 128 PARTICIPANTS

17 Individual Membership & Licensing

17.1 All Participants in National Competitions must be registered as an individual member with Basketball England and pay the fee set out in Appendix 2.

17.2 In addition to Regulation 17.1 above, all Participants in National Competitions are required to have a National Competitions Licence (which shall include a current passport photograph) in accordance with the fees set out in Appendix 2

17.3 All fees are exempt from VAT and are non-refundable.

17.4 All Coaches including assistant coaches must hold at least the Basketball England Level 2 Coach Award, In Division One Men the Head Coach must hold a Basketball England Level 3 Coach Award prior to the issue of a National Competitions Licence save that this Regulation 17.4 shall not apply to Non- National Coach who has not previously been registered in England provided however that in subsequent seasons (i.e. after the Non-National Coach's first Season this Regulation 17.4 will be deemed to apply.

17.5 No player may hold a valid National Competitions Licence to represent more than one Club in any National Competition save where an Under 18 Player is licensed to play senior basketball for another Club.

17.6 No Coach can be licensed for two Clubs that compete in the same league or competition at any one time.

17.7 A clear, enhanced DBS valid for three years (any unclear DBS certificates shall be risk assessed individually) and approved safeguarding training are required for anyone registering in regulated activity with children including, but not limited to, Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Physios and Team Manager.

17.8 All licenced participants shall not accept, lay or otherwise enter into any Bet with any other party (whether individual, company or otherwise) in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any basketball match or Competition under Basketball England Jurisdiction or BBL/WBBL games (where Teams play against these teams in a cup/trophy competition).

17.9. All licenced participants shall not directly or indirectly solicit, induce, entice, instruct, persuade, encourage, intentionally facilitate or authorise any other party to enter into a Bet in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any basketball match or Competition.

17.10 Issue of Licences

17.10.1 Each Club shall ensure that all applications for National Competitions Licences are made via Basketball England’s online registration system. Applications may be submitted at any time, and Basketball England will normally consider all applications meeting the required conditions within seven Business Days.

17.10.2 Once an application has been submitted, Basketball England may require additional documentation to be provided in order for such application to be approved, including but not limited to:

a) a completed transfer form: if a player is registered with a Club and wishes to register with another Club;

National Basketball League Regulations Page 25 of 128 b) a completed International Clearance Request Form; if a player has been registered with a National Federation outside of England, it is the responsibility of the Cub to send this information to Basketball England;

c) a Self-Declaration Form; if a non-British Player is registering with Basketball England for the first time and has never registered with another Basketball Federation outside of England. Anyone found to be providing false or misleading information to Basketball England with regards to their licence application, shall be immediately suspended for the remainder if the season and the club shall be fined a fixed penalty per £250 per incident.

d) a Confirmation of Amateur Status form; if a Non-National player competes in Division Two Men or lower or Division One Women or lower they must confirm that they have never played in a professional league or are attempting to play in a professional league in the future. Definition is in appendix 13.

e) such other documents as may be requested or required by Basketball England (such as, by way of example only, a valid Disclosure and Barring Service check); and

f) in the case of a senior or U20 Non-National Player / Coach, valid UK entry documentation (Work Permit/Certificate of Sponsorship and or Visa), photocopy of a valid passport and a signed valid contract where applicable (in accordance with Regulation 17.7.13 below).

g) all officials must submit proof that they have the ‘Right to work’ in the Uk, to permit them to work in a ‘self-employed’ manner. Proof of this is required at time of making a licence application.

17.10.3 Payment must be made in full to Basketball England for all National Competitions Licence applications prior to approval.

17.10.4 In the event that Basketball England approves an application, the licence will normally be issued with effect from the date that the approval was given. Approved licences (Digital Licences) will be available on the ‘Basketball England’s Membership portal’. The approval and issue of a licence can only be undertaken on Business Days between the hours of 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.

17.10.5 Once a National Competitions Licence has been approved and issued, the participant becomes eligible to participate in National Basketball League or Cup Matches. By participating obtaining a licence, the participant:

a) accepts the authority and jurisdiction of Basketball England and agrees to abide by its rules and regulations and the Code of Ethics and Conduct; b) agrees to comply with the UK rules anti-doping regulations and penalties in force from time to time for the official competitions of Basketball England and FIBA; c) agrees to submit to doping control tests and to abide by the respective anti-doping regulations as appropriate; and d) agrees that Basketball England may forward the participant’s Personal Data to FIBA and/or UK Anti Doping for use in connection with doping control.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 26 of 128 17.10.6 A Player who was previously registered in any other country is not permitted to play in the Basketball England National Basketball League Competitions until clearance has been received from that country in accordance with the regulations of FIBA.

17.10.7 Where Basketball England (in its sole discretion) considers there to be any doubt as to the national status of the person concerned, all relevant documents should be submitted to Basketball England so that Basketball England can determine that person’s national status.

17.10.8 Basketball England reserves the right to decline to license a person for any particular Club(s), at its sole discretion; similarly, it may choose to cancel or suspend a licence for any person at its sole discretion.

17.10.9 Failure to comply with any of the conditions relating to licensing will render a person ineligible to represent that Club.

17.10.10 No licence will be issued for a NON National (that is being paid to play or coach unless a current Work Permit and/or Governing Body Endorsement and/or Certificate of Sponsorship has been issued by Basketball England and the UK Border Agency and is accompanied by a signed valid employment contract. Only teams in Division One Men may apply to Basketball England for a Governing Body Endorsement using one of the appropriate forms set out at Appendix 6. Save for a player or coach who has the (appropriate) right to work as a professional sportsperson in the UK on their current entry clearance into the UK.

17.10.11 Normally, Basketball England will only support the issue of Work Permits and/or Governing Body Endorsements and/or Certificates of Sponsorship by the UK Border Agency, for Players and Coaches that meet the Agreed Criteria and for no other personnel. Work Permits and/or Governing Body Endorsements and/or Certificates of Sponsorship and the granting of Non-National Licences will not be supported by Basketball England for any Club that is not in good financial standing with Basketball England.

17.10.12 For a licence to be issued for NON-National Players or Coaches in Amateur Leagues, documentation must be provided to Basketball England which demonstrates that such Player and/or Coach holds appropriate entry clearance into the UK. A licence will not be issued for a Player and/or Coach who does not have leave to remain in the UK. A declaration of Amateur status is also required for Non-National (Players or Coaches, background checks will be carried out by Basketball England to determine whether or not the player meets amateur status requirements (listed in appendix 13) to be licensed for Basketball England Competitions in line with Home Office rules of Amateurs playing in Amateur Leagues. At any point during the season, Basketball England reserves the right to remove a Player / Coach’s licence if they are found to be in breach of this rule. The Amateur Status Declaration form is set out at Appendix 8.

17.10.13The number of licences that may be issued to a Club is restricted in accordance with Regulation 18 below. In the event that a Club which has a full quota in any category wishes to license an additional person in that same category, the application for the additional licence must be accompanied by confirmation of their new status. Such person is ineligible to represent a Club once the new application is received by Basketball England.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 27 of 128 17.11 Validity of Licences

17.11.1 Prior to the start of the Season, all Clubs should submit via Basketball England’s online registration system applications, accompanied by any other required documents, for persons they wish to license in the forthcoming season (in accordance with Regulation 17.1 above). If a person or Club submits more than one licence application in the course of a Season, without having been first released or transferred, they shall be deemed guilty of misconduct in accordance with Regulation 49.1. Applications will be considered by Basketball England, and a licence granted for each application that Basketball England deems to be acceptable.

17.11.2 Persons may be licensed at any time during the season up to 31 January. To be eligible for consideration, an application for a Player's licence, accompanied by the relevant documents and fees, must be received by Basketball England on or before 31 January of the Season in question. Thereafter licence applications can only be considered in respect of Coaches and Bench Personnel, and in such cases only bona-fide applications will be approved. The exception to this rule is for new registrations for age group conference teams and Intra Club Teams. Please see below:

(a) A player can be registered for an age group conference team, in which compete within the conference leagues and where a new registration can be applied for up to the last game of the regular playing season; no transfers are permitted from club to club. The player must not have been registered previously with Basketball England or registered for the last two seasons for any BE National League Competitions or any other International Federation that is recognised with FIBA

(b) Junior age group, Intra club transfers are permitted within a club up to seven days prior to the end of the season for their new transfer team based within the club and must meet regulation 20.11

17.11.3 A Player playing in all leagues may be licensed to participate in a competition prior to 31st January however their work permit, Governing Body Endorsement / Certificate of Sponsorship & Entry Clearance / International Clearance / Transfer Form can arrive after this date. In all cases the person does not become eligible to coach/play until such time as work permit Governing Body Endorsements / Certificate of Sponsorship & Entry Clearance / International Clearance / Transfer Form is received.

17.11.4 A person does not become eligible to represent a Club until their application has been approved by Basketball England. The arrival of any application via Basketball England’s online registration system does not in itself guarantee the eligibility of the person concerned.

17.11.5 To be valid, a licence must be issued and endorsed for the Season, Club and Team in question.

17.11.6 No Player licence applications may be received, and no transfer may take place after 11.59pm on the 31st January until the end of the Season. The exception to this rule is for new registrations for age group conference teams in line with regulation 17.8.2

National Basketball League Regulations Page 28 of 128 17.11.7 In respect of calculating the deadlines set out in these Regulations the European Convention on the Calculation of Deadlines applies, which provide that when a deadline expires on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it is extended to include the very next working day. (unless otherwise stated).

17.12 Licence Cards

17.12.1 Before each Match, the Club must present to the Commissioner or, if there is no Commissioner, the Crew Chief and Scorer the licence cards of all Players who are to play in the Match. The last three digits of the licence numbers must be inscribed on the Scoresheet. In addition, the licence cards of the Coaches and Bench Personnel must also be present for inspection. This can be done by either presenting the digital licences on a laptop/tablet/smart phone or printing the licences page off IN COLOUR and presenting to the commissioner. The following processes can be followed in obtaining licence cards:

Option 1: Print the licence cards from the portal and change the settings on the printer to print more than one on a page

Option 2: Screenshot the licence card from the computer, put it on a word document and lay them out as required and then print off

Option 3: Take a screenshot on the phone of each licence card and then present at the game

Option 4: Present the licence cards via the portal at the game

17.12.2 Licence cards are categorised as set out in Appendix 1.

17.12.3 Only persons holding a Coach licence may act as the Coach or assistant coach. Only persons holding a referee licence may act as a referee. Only persons holding a table official licence may act as a table official. Only persons holding a statistician’s licence may act as a statistician.

17.12.4 Failure to comply with Regulations 17.9.5 to 17.9.6 (inclusive) may result in a fine and/or possible forfeiture of the Match as determined by the Competitions Review Panel. At matches organised by Basketball England the Technical Commission will decide the eligibility of a person to participate in the event.

17.12.5 In the event of a valid licence not being produced for a Player, Coach or Team Follower that person shall not be permitted to participate in the Match in question. A valid licence card is described in regulation 17.9.1

If it is declared that a player will arrive after the tip off time but during the Match, then the player subsequently fails to arrive, the Table Officials must cross the name of that player off the Scoresheet.

17.12.6 Each team should review the licences of the opposition team. Should any challenge be made to the validity of such licences, the final decision shall lie with the Commissioner or, if there is no Commissioner, the Crew Chief. Such final decision should be reported to Basketball England.

17.13 Loss of Licence

17.13.1 A team that withdraws from a competition shall automatically lose its

National Basketball League Regulations Page 29 of 128 licence to compete, and any application in future seasons will only be considered for the lowest available division.

17.13.2 Teams that have been accepted into a Competition, and who subsequently withdraw, will be fined and the Surety Fee may be retained by Basketball England in part or in full acting in its sole discretion, in addition to any fine that may be levied.

18 Eligibility

Senior Competitions:

18.1 Players may play in Senior Competitions having attained their 15th birthday.

18.2 Subject to the remaining provisions of Regulation 18, a Team shall only be able to field a maximum of one NON-National Type 1 Player listed in appendix 13 in any Match.

In Division One Men for any Match in the League competition and/or where two Division One Men’s teams play each other in a Cup Match, a Club can register on the Scoresheet a maximum of 2 NON-National Type 1 Players (see Appendix 13 for breakdown). In addition, Division One Men’s teams are permitted to play two Non-National Type 1 Players from the Quarter Final round of the National Cup competition.

18.3 All Division One Men Non-National Type 1 (See appendix 13 for breakdown) players / coaches must have a valid contract of employment as a basketball player / coach with their club in order to be classified in the appropriate category. Clubs are reminded that they are responsible for the operation of PAYE & NI requirements for all employees and Basketball England may require documentary evidence to verify that where such a contract of employment exists, the due statutory procedures are being followed.

18.4 All regulations regarding FIBA International Clearance will also apply to National and Non-National players.

18.5 After a person has been licensed for a Season, they cannot apply to alter their national status during the course of that Season.

18.6 During the course of the Season:

18.7.1 Clubs in Division One and Two Men may licence a maximum of 4 Non- National Type 1 (Please see Appendix 3 for breakdown) Players; and there is no limit on the number of Non-Nationals Type 2 players listed in appendix 13.

18.7.2 Clubs in the Division Three Men, Division One and Two Women may licence a maximum of 3 Non-Nationals Type 1 Players (please see appendix 13 for breakdown) and there is no limit on the number of and there is no limit on the number of NON Nationals Type 2 players listed in appendix 13.

The requirements of Regulation 18.2 must be satisfied and a licence must be cancelled before an alternative licence may be issued. Where a licence is cancelled by virtue of the application of this Regulation 18.6, the Player shall become a free agent, unless they currently hold a standard form contract which has been deposited with, and approved by, Basketball England and continues to be honoured by the Club. Rotation of NON-Nationals Type 1 (Please see appendix

National Basketball League Regulations Page 30 of 128 13 for breakdown) Players can take place PROVIDED THAT a Team does not exceed the quota of NON-Nationals type 1 (Please see appendix 13 for breakdown)Players allowed by Regulation 18.2 in any one Match.

18.7 A Club is permitted to license a maximum of one Non-National Coach per Team. Any Team that has a Non-National Coach must also have a National assistant coach.

18.8 Licences can only be issued for Participants who are present in the UK. Whenever a person holding a senior competitions licence is absent from England for a continuous period in excess of 30 days during the period 1 September - 31 March, their licence shall automatically be suspended, and cannot be activated again until after the following 31 May save where a new licence application is received by Basketball England.

18.9 In order for a licence application to be considered, the individual must be present in the UK at the time of such application. For the avoidance of doubt, applications will not be considered or approved by Basketball England in respect of individuals who remain outside of the UK and intend to enter the UK at a later date.

18.10 A Player who was previously registered in any country other than the UK is not permitted to play in any national competition until clearance has been received from that country in accordance with the regulations of FIBA.

18.11 The regulations of FIBA prohibit players / coaches being registered until they are present in the UK. It is permissible for a Club to make an agreement with an individual, prior to his or her arrival in England, so as to secure exclusive rights for their services. Basketball England shall have the sole right to interpret, enforce or annul any such agreement at its sole discretion.

18.12 Where an individual holds two or more legal nationalities, his/her eligibility to play in the National Competitions shall be determined in accordance with Regulation 18.1. Where that individual is eligible to play as a British Player, he/she shall declare (if eligible) in writing before he/she is registered for the National Competition that if summoned to represent the relevant National Team for Great Britain, England, Scotland or Wales, he/she will play for that Team.

18.13 Basketball England may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to issue a licence to any Player, Coach, Match Official or Team Follower. Any such refusal shall be subject to Basketball England’s appeals procedure as set out in Regulation 49.5.

18.14 Asylum seekers and refugees may be licensed as British Players if the Player has been granted asylum or refugee status in the UK. This will be at the sole discretion of Basketball England and reconsidered on an annual basis.

18.15 In order to participate in the Final of the National Cup, a Player must be registered with Basketball England no less than seven days prior to that Match. In the event that the aforementioned seventh day falls on a weekend, the Player must be registered by the Friday prior to the seventh day (i.e. eight or nine days before the Match) in order to participate in such Match.

Age-Group Competitions:

18.16 Eligibility for all Junior Leagues and all Junior National Cup:

(i) Junior Age Groups: ages of players taken at 1st Sept of each season

National Basketball League Regulations Page 31 of 128 (ii) At the U12 are group- minimum age permitted is for the player to be attaining their 10th birthday from the 1st September of each academic year.

(iii) At the Under 14 age group- minimum age permitted is for the player to be attaining their 11th birthday from the 1st September of each academic year.

(iv) At the Under 16 age group- minimum age permitted is for the player to be attaining their 13th birthday from the 1st September of each academic year.

(v) At the Under 18 age group- minimum age permitted is for the player to be attaining their 15th birthday from the 1st September of each academic year.

(vi) A Junior Age Group player can apply for talent exemption in line with appendix 10, where a panel of experts will have the ability to authorise talented individuals to play at the senior level or up in age as appropriate. The player must meet the conditions outlined in appendix 10 and provide all supporting evidence of this, with their case submitted to [email protected].

(vii There are no restrictions on the number of Non-National players in a Team.

(viii) Teams must field a minimum of 8 players.

(vx) A Player who is licensed with Basketball England to play for a Junior Club may also license with Basketball England to play for a different Club in order to participate in the senior competitions if his/her Junior Age Group Club is not connected to a 'parent' senior Club, this is subject to the written approval of both Clubs.

(ix) A Player who is licensed with Basketball England to play for a Junior Age Group team which also has a 'parent' senior team may only play for that senior team in the National Competitions.

(xi) Where a Junior Age Group player is licensed to play in the senior competitions for a Club that does not have a team in the Under 18 competitions, the Player may also play for a different Club in the Junior Age Group competitions provided that such Club does not have a senior team in the National Competitions.

(xii) A club not competing in the Under 18/Under 16 Leagues may license up to a maximum of 15 players for the Under 18 or Under 16 National Cup.

(xiii) Zone/Combination Defences are permitted at the Under U16 and Under 18 conference level competitions in quarters one and three, this includes the female age groups where there is no premier competition and just one league, Man to Man Defence can be played throughout but is mandatory in quarters two and four. There are no restrictions for premier level competition’s. Where two teams meet in playoffs or cup competitions and one team is conference level and the other team is premier level, the game will be bound by the highest of the two leagues rules and therefore, zone defence can be played throughout the game, as per premier level rules at this age group.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 32 of 128 (xv) Zone / Combination Defences are not permitted in Under 14 and Under 12 competitions. Man to Man Defence is mandatory.

(xvi) All Under 14 Girls and Boys Conference games must play to the rules of the Basketball England’s All Must Play Rule, this format can be seen in appendix 7 for this age group and use the Rotational Schedule in Appendix 9.

(xvii) All age group Regional league games with the exception to the Under 16 Boys Regional league must play to the rules of the Basketball England’s All Must Play Rule Triangular format, this format can be seen in appendix 8 for this age group and use the Rotational Schedule in Appendix 9

(xviii) All Under 12 Girls and Under 12 Mixed leagues must play to the rules of the Basketball England’s All Must Play Rule Triangular format, this format can be seen in appendix 8 for this age group and also use the Rotational Schedule in Appendix 9.

(xix) The age group restrictions are applied to Junior teams and ages permitted to play at an age group can be found in appendix 1: Licence Cards and Age Group Eligibility

(xx) A club can only enter a maximum of two teams per junior age group only.

(xxi) An U18 Player who is licensed with Basketball England will be limited to play (and be licensed) for only two teams at any one time, this includes play in all competitions. (BBL, Division One Women’s Teams also known as the WBBL Senior and Junior NBL). The two age group teams cannot be at the same age group; it must be two separate age groups/senior competitions.

18.17 When a player under 18 years of age is disqualified from a match, a designated coach or bench personnel who is licensed to the team and club must accompany the disqualified player out of the sports hall and remain with them. If there is no such coach or bench personnel available, the player must remain in the hall away on the opposite side of the court to their bench and must not intervene or communicate with either team or the officials. If the disqualified player is to remain in the hall, any further intervention or incidents will be taken into account in any disciplinary investigation after the match.

19 Contracts

19.1 All National Competition Licences expire on the last day of the Season in question in accordance with the official calendar of Basketball England.

19.2 After expiry of any licence:

19.2.1 a noncontract Player shall become a Free Agent and may subsequently be licensed or contracted by any Club. Any Club for which the Player was formerly licensed shall have no entitlement to request any compensation for the Player’s services;

19.2.2 a Player who has been subject to a Standard Contract, as issued and approved by Basketball England, which expires prior to the start of a forthcoming Season, shall become a Free Agent and may subsequently be licensed or contracted by any Club. Any Club for which the Player was formerly licensed shall have no entitlement to request any compensation for the Player’s services; and/or

National Basketball League Regulations Page 33 of 128 19.2.3 a Player who is subject to a Standard Contract which extends into the forthcoming Season shall, except by agreement of his Club, only be licensed for that Club in the forthcoming Season.

19.3 A Free Agent may, subject to FIBA Regulations, sign an application for a Competitions Licence at any time, and for any Club, except during the period 1 February to 31 May each year, or as otherwise restricted by other rules and/or regulations, and any Club for which he was formerly licensed shall have no entitlement to request any compensation.

19.4 A Club may at any time release a noncontract Player and shall notify the Player of such release and shall surrender his licence to Basketball England (by confirming the release in writing), whereupon the Player shall immediately become a free agent.

19.5 A contracted Player shall be entitled to apply for a licence to coach at the Club he or she is contracted to without compensation. Any subsequent request by the Player or his new Club for a licence for the coach to play will be subject to the terms embodied in the Standard Contract for the period of time stipulated by the Standard Contract.

19.6 In order to establish the existence of a Standard Contract, a Club shall, within 7 days of signature by both parties, forward to Basketball England the signed Certificate of Contract contained in the Standard Contract. Where a Player and his/her Club, (or related companies, organisations or sponsors of the Club) have agreed more than one contract to cover the same period of time, both contracts must be sent to Basketball England.

19.7 A Player, Coach and/or Team Follower may, at any time, demand their release. The Club for which they are licensed must comply within 7 Days, unless it is of the opinion that the Player, Coach and/or Team Follower owes money to the Club (the Club must submit an account of the debt for Basketball England to consider). Basketball England shall hold the individual participants licence until such time as Basketball England is satisfied that such money has been paid (to the extent that the debt is considered by Basketball England to be accurate and a true account of agreement between the parties).

19.8 A Player shall have the right to invoke arbitration by Basketball England, in accordance with Regulation 50.7, where the Player reasonably considers that a Club is acting unreasonably in relation to the provisions of the Standard Contract governing expiry, release and transfer.

19.9 In the event that Basketball England determines that a Club is in breach of the terms and conditions of a Standard Contract so as to merit the immediate termination of that contract, the Player shall thereafter be deemed to be a non- contract Player for the purposes of these Regulations.

19.10 This Regulation 19 and regulation 20 below shall apply to a person who is licensed solely as a Coach, save in so far as they relate to the Standard Contract and, therefore, at the end of a Season, a Coach shall have the status of a free agent. This Regulation 20 shall apply to a person who is licensed as both a Player and a Coach as if the person is a Player only.

20 Transfers

20.1 The terms and conditions contained in the Standard Contract shall govern the transfer of any Player / Coach to whom such a contract applies and shall take

National Basketball League Regulations Page 34 of 128 precedence over any conflicting terms in these Regulations.

20.2 Where a Player / Coach is transferring between Clubs, the new contract must be sent to Basketball England within seven days of signature by both parties.

20.3 A transfer of a Player / Coach from one Club to another during the course of a Season shall not normally be permitted, unless the Player / Coach, the transferee Club and the transferor Club have all consented to such transfer and the terms of such a transfer. If all parties cannot come to an agreement, Basketball England shall consider the matter, whose decision shall be binding on all parties.

20.4 If a Player / Coach wishes to seek a transfer of his licence during the course of a Season, he/she must submit this request in writing to both the Club concerned and Basketball England. For a Player / Coach who has not signed a contract with a Club, the Club must comply with this request within seven days and inform Basketball England.

20.5 Where the transferor Club and the transferee Club cannot agree terms for the transfer of a contracted Player, either Club shall have the right to invoke arbitration by Basketball England in accordance with Regulation 50.7.

20.6 Once an agreement has been reached relating to the transfer of a Player / Coach, a transfer form shall be completed and signed by the Player / Coach and the Secretary or otherwise authorised representative of the transferee Club and transferor Club. The form should contain all details of the conditions agreed by the parties and which are being submitted to Basketball England for its consideration. This form shall then be sent to the headquarters of Basketball England, together with the new licence application, any current licence card and the appropriate licensing fees.

20.7 The applicant shall only become eligible to represent the new Club once the documents have been received and approved by Basketball England, such approval to be communicated to the Clubs via e-mail from Basketball England. It is the responsibility of the transferee Club and transferor Club to ascertain that the transfer has been successfully completed. The new club will then have to register the player to compete in the National Basketball League.

20.8 If any transfer fee is payable in respect of the transfer of a Player / Coach in accordance with these Regulations, such fee shall be deemed to be exclusive of Value Added Tax, unless specifically stated otherwise, and the Value Added Tax at the current rate shall be payable in addition to the fee stipulated if the transferor Club is registered for Value Added Tax.

20.9 A signed transfer form shall constitute proof that the transferor Club is satisfied that the fee and any Value Added Tax thereon has been or will be paid to them by the transferee Club and a transfer shall not subsequently be annulled by virtue of a breach of contract by the transferee Club.

20.10 No more than 8 transfers shall be permitted between the same transferor and transferee Team/Club in any Season. A transfer shall not be approved by Basketball England if it includes an automatic return clause. A transfer may include a provision related to payment by a transferor Club if the licensed person re-joins the transferor Club at a later date.

20.11 All Under 18 intra club transfers in line with regulation 17.9.2 and 20.10 can be transferred between the teams within a club up to seven days in advance of the regular playing season for the new team they wish to transfer to.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 35 of 128 20.12 Whilst a person holds a Competition Licence, no person representing any other Club shall approach the person with a view to inducing him to leave that Club, unless permission has been granted in writing by a duly authorised representative of the Club to which the person is currently licensed. Any infringement of this rule shall be treated by Basketball England as misconduct and action may be taken in accordance with Regulation 49.1.

20.13 The use of an agent to conduct any aspect of a transfer of a Competitions Licence is strictly prohibited and accordingly any such transfer shall be arranged directly between the transferor Club, transferee Club and the individual concerned.

20.14 A person having represented a Team (i.e. by having their name included on the Scoresheet) as a Player or Coach in any Cup Competition cannot subsequently represent any other Team as a Player or Coach in the same Cup Competition during the Season.

FIXTURES

21 Arrangement of Fixtures

21.1 National Basketball League

21.1.1 In all Divisions, all Clubs shall play each other for a scheduled number of Matches home and away to determine the League champions.

21.1.2 No Jnr.NBL/NBL league fixtures shall be played on either Jnr.NBL/NBL League Cup Final date and no Jnr.WNBL and WNBL fixtures shall be played on the Jrn.WNBL/WNBL Cup Final date.

21.2 National Cups

21.2.1 The National Cup (Men) will be played as follows:

(a) First Round: this will involve sufficient Teams to provide 32 teams in Second Round. This round may also give a number of teams a bye. (b) Second Round: this will involve 32 Teams. (c) Third Round: this will involve the sixteen winning Teams from the Second Round Matches. (d) Quarter Finals: this will involve the eight winning Teams from the Third Round Matches. (e) Semi Finals: this will involve the four winning Teams from the Quarter Final Matches. (f) Final: This will involve the winners of the Semi-Final Matchesand will be played on a single leg basis at a neutral venue arranged by Basketball England. Basketball England will conduct the draw for each competition which may include geographical organisation and seeding in the rounds prior to the quarter finals. Basketball England shall determine which teams (if any) are awarded byes in its absolute discretion.

21.2.2 The National Cup (Women) will be played as follows:

(a) First Round: this will involve sufficient Teams to provide 16 Teams in the Second Round.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 36 of 128 (b) Second Round: this will involve sixteen Teams. (c) Quarter Finals: this will involve the eight winning Teams from the Second Round Matches. (d) Semi Finals: this will involve the four winning Teams from the Quarter Final Round Matches. (e) Final: this will involve the winners of the Semi-Final Matches and will be played on a single leg basis at a neutral venue arranged by Basketball England. Basketball England will conduct the draw for each competition which may include geographical organisation and seeding in the rounds prior to the quarter finals.

21.5 For age-group competitions the following shall apply:

21.5.1 Under 18 Cup (Men and Women) Under 16 Cup (Boys and Girls), Matches will be played on a single leg knock-out basis.

21.5.2 Under 18, Under 16, Under 14 Premier Leagues, teams shall be split into divisions playing each other home and away culminating in end of season Playoffs. The Premier League winner will be determined by the winner of the Playoff / Final Four Tournament.

21.5.3 Under 16 Regional Leagues, teams shall be split into divisions playing each other home and away format. A Regional League Division winner will be determined by a team winning their Division.

21.5.4 Under 18, Under 16 and Under 1 Conference Leagues, teams shall be split into divisions playing each other home and away. The Conference divisional winner will be determined by a team winning their Division. . There will be a promotional playoff for this level of competition only, where the lowest seeding from the premier level at an age group will compete for the following season promotional spots with top seeds from the conference level.

21.5.6 Under 14 Regional Leagues, teams shall be split into divisions playing each other in a triangular format or singular fixtures. A regional divisional conference league winner will be determined by a team winning their divisional conference.

21.5.7 Under 12 Leagues, teams shall be split into divisions playing each other in a triangular format or singular fixtures. A divisional conference winner will be determined by a team winning their divisional conference.

21.6 The Home Club shall provide suitable refreshments for the Away Team and the Match Officials at the following Matches, failure to do so will result in an automatic fine:

Division One Men Division One Women All Senior Cup and Playoff games from Quarter Final onwards All Age-Group Cup and Playoff games from Quarter Final onwards

22 Tip Off Times and Duration of Matches

22.1 Matches shall normally be played on a Saturday or Sunday. They may, however, be played on such other days as Basketball England may from time to time

National Basketball League Regulations Page 37 of 128 stipulate or by mutual agreement provided that such days have been approved by Basketball England.

22.2 All Matches shall take place at the following times, unless special authorisation has been given by Basketball England. For Junior National Cup and Play-off quarter final games, the earliest a game can tip for juniors is 12pm, due to greater travel distance, unless mutually agreed between the two teams:

Saturday Sunday Weekdays

Men/Women 13.00 – 20.00 13.00 – 17.00 19.30 – 20.00

Youth Leagues 11.00 – 18.00 11.00 – 17.00 By mutual agreement

22.3 In the case of triple header Matches, earlier start times may apply.

22.4 Normally, no Team shall be required to undertake a weekend fixture that does not enable its Players to arrive back at their home base/meeting point by:

22.4.1 Midnight on Sunday, unless otherwise agreed, for senior teams; or

22.4.2 22.00 on a Saturday night or 21.00 on a Sunday (unless otherwise agreed by Basketball England) for Under 18 Teams.

22.5 No days and times (other than those set out in Regulations 22.1 to 22.4 above) will normally be permitted by Basketball England except in the case of televised Matches.

22.6 The Home Team must confirm all details with the Away Team at least two weeks before the Match and the Away Team must acknowledge such confirmation. If confirmation hasn’t been received by the away team in under two weeks prior to the fixture, the game will still go ahead and the away team must make contact with the home team to establish if the details of the fixture is per the Basketball England Website (after 31st August). If the game was to be postponed it must be mutually agreed in line with regulation 23.4

22.6.1 Where a home team does not confirm the game two weeks in advance of the fixture and the game details (tip-time/venue) are in anyway different from what is listed on the Basketball England website, the home team will be liable to find alternate arrangements, should the away team not be able to attend the amended time/venue.

22.6.2 The exemption to this rule is where the away team doesn’t acknowledge the game confirmation 7 days prior to a fixture taking place. er After this time the away team forfeits the right to contest any amended game details and the game details stands as per Basketball England website.

22.7 In the event that a Team arrives after, but within fifteen minutes, of the scheduled tip off time:

22.7.1 the Crew Chief (in consultation with the Team Representatives) will decide what time the Match will start; and

22.7.2 that Team shall be liable to a fine in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

22.8 It is the intention of Basketball England that wherever possible a Match should take place, and Match Officials are requested to keep this in mind when making

National Basketball League Regulations Page 38 of 128 decisions. When considered appropriate by the Commissioner (or Crew Chief where a Commissioner is not present), the Commissioner (or Crew Chief) may (in consultation with the Court Manager) amend the designated tip off time for any Match.

22.9 If a late tip off caused by the Away Team results in the Home Team incurring additional court hire costs, the Away Team will be liable to reimburse the Home Team for such additional court hire costs provided that the Home Team submits proof of such additional court hire costs in the form of an official invoice from the Home Team’s venue. This must be provided within 7 days of the date of the scheduled Match.

23 Re-Arrangement, Postponement, Abandonment and Replaying of Matches

23.1 Basketball England will prepare a fixture list prior to the start of the Season. In exceptional circumstances, Basketball England may require a Match to be rearranged.

23.2 Where a Club is required by Basketball England to play a Semi Final or Final Match within 36 hours of a scheduled League Match, then that Club may request that the League Match be rearranged (and Basketball England will normally approve such request). Applications for rearrangement must be submitted within 48 hours of the definitive date of the Match becoming known to the Club seeking the rearrangement. A rearrangement will only be approved for Matches taking place before a fixture, not for those scheduled after (i.e. if a Cup Match takes place on a Sunday, a Match taking place on the Saturday can be rescheduled but where the Cup Match occurs on the Saturday, the Sunday Match cannot be rescheduled).

23.3 Where a Team is required by Basketball England or the BBL/WBBL (Cup/Trophy game) to play a Final Match, the Club may request that all other Matches involving their teams that day be rearranged. Basketball England will normally approve such a request provided that the request is submitted within 48 hours of the Team being confirmed in the Final.

23.4 No changes are permitted in respect of any fixture list relating to a Competition, save that: Please refer to Appendix 11 - Pandemic Policy for the 2021/22 season on this regulation.

23.4.1 prior to 31 August, whenever two Clubs reach agreement regarding the rearrangement of a Match (including a change in date, venue or tip time), they may jointly make an application in writing to Basketball England using the Fixture Change Form (available to download from, or provided upon request by, Basketball England) for the matter to be considered; and

23.4.2 after 31 August, the request to change any Match from its published date will not be considered by Basketball England for Senior Competitions and Jnr.NBL/WNBL Premier Competitions across all age groups unless the reason to change of the date is due to venue unavailability. Documentation is required by the facility operator in advance of the game must be submitted. The change of tip time is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, it must be changed and confirmed up to 28 days in advance of the fixture and teams must be aware that by doing so, there is no guarantee officials may be appointed it must also be authorised by Basketball England.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 39 of 128 23.4.3 For all Jnr.NBL/WNBL Conference and Regional into Under 12 competitions a request to change any match date, tip time and venue after the 31 August will be considered by Basketball England, The Club responsible for the change shall be liable to pay an administrative charge of £15.00 is if a new date, tip time and venue is agreed upon within 7 days of the original fixture postponed. on or after the 8th day the charge will rise to £35.00 All changes must be approved by the opponent of the team making the request. The maximum a team can request a postponed fixture is twice per team for the regular playing season.

23.5 Where a Match is re-arranged in accordance with Regulation 23.4.2 or 23.4.3 above, the Home Club shall be responsible for notifying the Match Officials of such change. In the event that the Home Club or Basketball England fails to notify the Match Officials of such a change and the Match Official(s) arrive at the venue on the original date that the Match was scheduled to be played, the Home Club will be liable for the travel expenses and half of the match fee of such Match Official(s

23.6 In the event that, within fourteen days of the date of the original Match postponement, two Clubs fail to reach an agreement as to when a Match shall take place, Basketball England will specify the date of the Match and the Team responsible for the postponement shall be liable to pay the relevant administrative charge set out in Regulation 23.4.3 above.

23.6.1 All requests to postpone fixtures made at least 7 days in advance, between clubs must be in writing, stating why the postponement is being requested. The request can either be agreed or rejected by clubs in writing.

Games will be deemed to be ‘as scheduled’ unless confirmation has been received. Clubs not responding to requests will forego the right to claim compensation for costs incurred, should a game not go ahead.

If a request to postpone a junior game is agreed by either team, then the HOME team is responsible for offering two alternative dates to the opposition within 5 days of the postponement being agreed. The away team must respond within a further 5 days and either accept the new date or offer an alternative two dates.

Should the Home team not be able to accommodate these two dates, they must contact Basketball England within 4 days to ask for a date to be set in line with regulation 23.6.

23.6.2 Late postponements. Where a club requests to postpone a game LESS that 7 days before the scheduled match, the process outlined in regulation 23.4.4 should be followed. Should a request for postponement be made within 48 hours of the scheduled start time, a phone call should be made advising the problem and correspondence should be followed up with an email. It is acknowledged that emails sent within 48 hours of a schedule fixture may not be able to be responded to, and will not impact the non the right to claim compensation.

23.7 All Crew Chiefs have the power to stop and, where necessary, abandon a game if they feel the behavior of anyone involved puts the welfare of a participant or spectator at risk.

All Basketball England officials will, accept the moral authority to implement procedures to provide a duty of care for all participants and spectators.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 40 of 128 Where a Match is abandoned, the Competitions Review Panel shall reach a decision on the result and outcome of the Match based on the circumstances surrounding each case. Only personnel listed on the original Scoresheet are eligible to play in any replay. If a Club is unable to field a full Team in the replay (by way of example only, due to injury or illness) then Basketball England shall (in its sole discretion) determine whether such replay should be rescheduled for an alternative date or be forfeited by the Club unable to field a full Team. The provisions of this Regulation 23.7 shall apply equally to any rescheduled replay.

23.8 Where a Club is responsible for the postponement of a scheduled Match (up to 48 hours prior to the Tip off time) due to the venue owners cancelling the court booking, the Match must be rescheduled within fourteen days of the postponement. (In line with regulation 23.4.4) Confirmation from the venue that the original booking was cancelled by the venue owner must be provided (within 7 days of the postponement). Failure to provide confirmation from the venue owner will result in consideration of the matter by the Competitions Review Panel, who shall be entitled to award the Match to the opposition.

23.9 In the event that a Match is postponed due to a Global Pandemic, severe weather conditions, unforeseen road delays or breakdowns:

23.9.1 the travelling expenses (if applicable) of all the Match Officials will be paid by the Home Team;

23.9.2 the Team responsible for the postponement of the Match shall be liable for the costs of court hire where such Match is re-arranged for a later date. In the case of a forfeit, the Home Club may make a compensation claim as set out in Regulation 24.4 below;

23.9.3 the responsibility for notifying Match Officials of a postponement rests with the Home Club;

23.9.4 any dispute over the Team responsible for the postponement and/or the amount of any costs will be resolved by Basketball England within 7 days;

23.9.5 Basketball England may ask for confirmation or proof of the travel that was intended, type of vehicle used and details of the breakdown, including any roadside assistance.

23.9.6 If a Global Pandemic arises Basketball England have the right to cancel all fixtures until it is safe to continue, in some cases this may lead to the season finishing earlier than normal.

23.9.6.1 The Appendix 11 pandemic policy will come into effect during the 2021-22 season only, it will be adopted and supersede all current regulations in place.

24 Failure to Fulfil Fixture Obligations

24.1 A Team shall forfeit a Match if:

24.1.1 fifteen (15) minutes after the scheduled tip off time, the Team is not present on the court or is unable to field five (5) Players ready to play save where, by agreement of all parties, a Match tips off late (e.g. as a result of travel delays); and/or

24.1.2 its actions prevent the Match from being played; and/or

National Basketball League Regulations Page 41 of 128 24.1.3 it refuses to play after being instructed to do so by the Crew Chief.

24.2 When a scheduled Match is forfeited in accordance with Regulation 24.1 above, an automatic fine will be imposed. In addition, the Competitions Review Panel shall be entitled to increase the fine as follows:

Compe&&on 1st Offence Fine (£) Subsequent Maximum Fine Offences Fine (£) (£)

Division 1 and 2 Men 500 plus 2 point Removal from deduction league

Division 1 and 2 150 300 plus 2 point 500 or removal Women deduction from league & Division 3

Under 18 Competitions 100 200 500 or removal from league

24.3 Where a Club is responsible for the postponement of a scheduled Match (within 72 hours of the tip off) or does not fulfil a fixture, without the consent of its opponents, the Competitions Review Panel may issue a fine no greater than the maximum amount set out above. In addition, the Match in question will be awarded to the non-offending Team 20 – 0 and such number of league points as the Competitions Review panel shall determine (in its sole discretion) may be deducted. Compensation may be sought from non offending team, for any charges that may be incurred due to the late cancellation of the game in line with this regulation, maximum amount that can be claimed is up to £75.00 for a Senior Fixture and £50.00 for a Junior Fixture, only facility hire, travel expenses and officials costs incurred in line with regulation 23.5 and 40.8 can be taken into consideration and evidence of the cost associated must be proved. The amount awarded is at the discretion of Basketball England and the compensation will be deducted from the fine issued by Basketball England and will only be compensated once the fine has been paid in full from the offending team. Any compensation claim must include evidence of costs and must be submitted within 7 days of the date of the scheduled Match.

24.4 The offending Club may also be liable to pay compensation to the other Club for facility hire and travel expenses only. The amount of compensation will be determined by the Competitions Review Panel following the receipt of written submissions and evidence of costs from both Clubs within 7 days of the date of the scheduled Match. The maximum compensation claim shall not exceed £250.

24.8 Any Club which, without just cause, fails to fulfil a League or Cup Match on the appointed date shall be liable to forfeit League points and or to expulsion from the competition. It may also be liable to pay a fine and/or compensation to Basketball England and/or other Clubs which may have been affected in accordance with Regulation 24.2.

24.9 Where any League Match is not fulfilled within the Regular Season, the Club responsible for the original postponement will be liable to a fine for non- fulfilment of the said fixture in accordance with Regulation 24.2 In addition, the Match in question will be awarded to the non-offending Team 20– 0.

Provided that the process outlined in 23.6.1 and 23.6.2 has been adhered to.

24.10 Any claim for an outstanding/postponed Match must be received by Basketball England not less than 14 days prior to the first Play-Off Match, in order that full

National Basketball League Regulations Page 42 of 128 consideration of the claim can be made before confirming the final League positions and Play-Off places.

24.11 If a Senior Team fails to fulfil 90% of its scheduled league fixtures in a Season, its league record may be expunged in its entirety after consideration by the Competitions Review Panel. In addition, Basketball England may (in its sole discretion):

24.11.1 forfeit the relevant Team’s licence (in accordance with Regulation 14 below); and/or

24.11.2 impose a financial penalty; and/or

24.11.3 refuse to re-admit that Team into the relevant league.

25 Clashes with National Team Events

25.1 From the conclusion of the competition until 31 August and for the duration of the European Championships, selection for the any National Team takes priority over all Club commitments (in accordance with Regulations of Basketball England, nos. 4 & 5).

25.2 No age group league games can take place on an Aspire Day. These dates will be set in advanced and no games to be scheduled on these dates.

25.3 Any National League Team with two (2) or more Junior National Team Players in their squad has the right to request a change to the date of their Matches to avoid clashes with National Team training camps or Matches provided that such request is made on or before 1 November in the relevant year. This change must be agreed to by the requesting Team’s scheduled opposition. This provision only applies to National Team training camps or Matches which are a part of the official calendar.

26 Court Managers and Team Representatives

26.1 The Home Club shall nominate a Court Manager for each Senior Match. The Court Manager shall be responsible for all aspects of the Match except the playing of the Match and must not be involved in the Match in any other official capacity. Match Officials may advise on court layout but responsibility and accountability remain with the Court Manager.

26.2 Each Club shall nominate a Team Representative from their bench personnel to represent their interests at any time during the Match to the court manager.

26.3 The Match Officials, the Court Manager and the Team Representatives, and at least five playing members of each Team, are required to be present at the venue at least one hour prior to the scheduled Tip off time, failure to adhere to this must be accompanied by a phone call to the Court Manager or home team representative to advise on expected time of arrival.

26.4 The Court Manager will conduct a pre-Match meeting with the Match Officials, Team Representatives and Commissioner if applicable, one hour prior to the scheduled Tip off time. The participants at this meeting should assemble at or near the Scorer's table.

26.5 If the Match officials are at two consecutive Matches on the same day, the pre- Match meeting for the second Match should take place immediately after the first Match. Teams and Match Officials must provide the Table Officials with the

National Basketball League Regulations Page 43 of 128 relevant licences and team lists at this time. Licences are required for all participants and a full team list is required at this time.

26.6 Failure to attend the pre-Match meeting and/or not having the requisite number of Players and/or licences at the venue in accordance with Regulation 26.4 or 26.5 above will result in an automatic fine being imposed by Basketball England in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

27 Commissioner

27.1 Basketball England will, in its sole discretion, nominate Commissioners for Regular Season Matches and only for specific reasons, where it deems appropriate.

27.2 The Commissioner shall, where appointed:

27.2.1 be at the venue of the Match at least one-hour prior the Tip off time to hold a meeting with the Crew Chief, Umpire, Court Manager and Team Representatives;

27.2.2 during the Match, be seated at the Scorer's table, in such a position as to be able to easily view the Scoresheet;

27.2.3 ensure that the Match is conducted in accordance with the spirit and letter of these Regulations, and shall encourage the full co-operation of the Match Officials, Court Manager and the participating Clubs;

27.2.4 following completion of the Match, complete the Commissioners’ Report Form, available on request from Basketball England, and send it to the headquarters of Basketball England;

27.2.5 convey to the headquarters of Basketball England any claim or protest received from any of the Clubs participating in the Match, together with any information that the Commissioner deems relevant. A club must inform the Commissioner if it intends to sign the Scoresheet "under protest”;

27.2.6 as a nominated representative of Basketball England, be responsible for handling any dispute, excluding items covered under the rules of the Match and advise those involved of their responsibilities with regard to the Regulations concerning the submission of reports etc;

27.2.7 receive travelling and subsistence expenses in accordance with the current rates of Basketball England;

27.2.8 prior to commencement of the Match, and after consultation with the Crew Chief and the Court Manager, make any decision regarding whether the Match shall take place and determine the Match Tip off time;

27.2.9 following completion of the Match, discuss the Match with the Court Manager and the Away Team Representative; and

27.2.10 after consultation with the Crew Chief, Court Manager and Team Representatives (where appropriate), make decisions regarding all aspects of the Match not covered by the Rules of Basketball.

27.12 Where a Technical Commission is in operation in accordance with Regulation 16.2

National Basketball League Regulations Page 44 of 128 above, the Technical Commission shall be responsible for the duties of the Commissioner as set out in Regulations 27.2.4 and 27.2.8.

28 Warm-ups and Practice

28.1 20 minutes prior to the actual tip-off time of the Match, the court must be available for warm-up.

28.2 Any action during the warm-up period of a Match (pre-Match, half-time, or during any interval of play), which is likely to damage equipment, is strictly prohibited. Any Player who breaches the provisions of this Regulation 28.2 after a warning from any of the Match Officials shall be liable to pay a fine imposed by Basketball England in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

28.3 Before the 1st and 3rd quarters, a Team shall have the exclusive right to practice in that half of the court into which it will be attacking in the forthcoming period.

29 Use of Official Balls

29.1 Each Team shall be responsible for providing its own practice balls but must be the relevant Wilson Official game ball

29.2 The Crew Chief shall approve the match ball at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled tip off time.

29.3 All National Competition Matches shall be played with the official approved ball of Basketball England (See Appendix 5).

30 Scoresheets and Match Results

Senior Competitions:

30.1 Legible electronic copies of the Scoresheet, shall be emailed by the Home Club to Basketball England [email protected] no later than 48 hours following completion of the Match. Basketball England shall be entitled to impose a fixed penalty in accordance with Regulation 49.16 for a breach of this Regulation 30.1.

30.2 When FIBA LiveStats software has been used, it should be operated with two statisticians who hold at least the Introduction to Statisticians qualification. The provision of live statistics (on the internet) using the FIBA LiveStats software is mandatory for all Division One Men, Division One Women and Division Two Men’s Teams throughout their respective League and Playoff games, in addition to this where two of these league teams meet in the National Cup. No live stats link will be a breach of the regulations and a fixed penalty in accordance with regulation 49.16 will be applied this can be in addition to a fixed penalty for not submitting the Stats game file to Basketball England in accordance to regulation 30.1.

30.3 The home team for each Division One Men and Division One Women league teams are responsible for videoing and uploading a copy of the game film to HUDL within 48 hours of the game taking place and submitting for game breakdown for every league game. The sanctions listed in regulation 49.16 will be imposed for teams that do not meet this league requirement.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 45 of 128 30.4 The home team for each Division One Men and Division One Women league teams are responsible for Live streaming their fixtures and staging the fixture on the BE Youtube Channel, this channel may change from time to time pending other hosting sites that BE wish to utilise.. The sanctions listed in regulation 49.16 will be imposed for teams that do not meet this league requirement.

All Live streaming must meet Basketball England’s Live Streaming Policy listed in appendix 12.

30.5 Following signature of the Scoresheet by the Crew Chief, the Umpires and the table officials, the scorer shall pass all three copies of the Scoresheets to the Court Manager who shall be responsible for their distribution. In the absence of a Commissioner, the Scorer shall pass the sheets to the club organiser. In the absence of a Commissioner the Court Manager is responsible for ensuring that the Scorer can obtain the Crew Chiefs’ signatures immediately following the end of the Match.

30.6 The Court Manager or appointed team administrator shall be responsible for notifying Basketball England of the result of the Match (including any statistical information requested by Basketball England). In all cases this should be done by inputting the required data onto the online Game Day portal as the match ends, but no later than midnight on the day the Match took place. Any breach of this Regulation 30.4 shall result in the imposition of a fixed penalty in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

Age-Group Competitions:

30.7 The Home Club shall be responsible for notifying Basketball England of the result of the Match (including any statistical information requested by Basketball England). In all cases this should be done by inputting the required data onto the online Game Day portal as the match ends, but no later than midnight on the day the Match took place. Any breach of this Regulation 30.5 shall result in the imposition of a fixed penalty in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

30.8 A legible electronic copy of the Scoresheet shall be e-mailed by the Home Club to [email protected] within 48 hours of the Match.

30.9 The home team for Under 16 Boys and Girls Premier league teams are responsible for Videoing and uploading a copy of the game film to HUDL within 48 hours of the game taking place and submitting for game breakdown for every league game. The sanctions listed in regulation 49.16 will be imposed for teams that do not meet this league requirement.

30.10 In the event of a Coach being disqualified from a game, where no suitable qualified and registered assistant coach is present the game will be abandoned and referred to the Competitions Review Panel and/or Disciplinary Officer for consideration regarding the outcome of the game.

(Note: All Age-Group National League teams are expected to travel with at least 2 appropriate adults in line with the Basketball England Safeguarding Policy)

31 Full Strength Teams

31.1 In all Matches a Team must have a minimum of 8 players ready to play at the scheduled tip off time. Any breach of this Regulation 31.1 shall result in the imposition of a fixed penalty in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 46 of 128 31.2 All Participants listed on the Scoresheet at the start of the Match must be present at the end of the Match (unless disqualified or taken to hospital etc). Participants are prohibited from leaving part way through a Match in order to attend and/or participate in another Match.

31.3 A Club is required to participate in any Competition it is entered into to the best of its ability.

31.4 All Clubs competing in National Competitions agree to give priority to these competitions above all other. In the event of a clash, the National Competition Match shall take priority unless otherwise agreed with Basketball England.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 47 of 128 FACILITIES

32 Venues

32.1 Applications for entry to the National Basketball League shall include a request for the right to play home games at an approved playing venue for the upcoming Season. In the case of two or more Clubs applying for the same venue, the Competitions Review Panel shall consider the applications and determine which Club shall be awarded the rights to that venue or, in special circumstances, order that the venue be shared by two or more Clubs.

32.2 Each Club shall register its home venue with Basketball England, and no Club shall play a home Match at any other venue, without the prior approval of Basketball England. If a Club wishes to change its permanent home venue, it must apply to Basketball England for permission.

32.3 An existing National Basketball League Club may lodge an objection with Basketball England where it considers that another Club proposes to play home matches in National Competitions, at the same level of competition, at a venue unreasonably close to its established home venue. The Competitions Review Panel shall consider any such objection and determine each case on its merits.

32.4 Basketball England does not undertake or guarantee access to any venues used in the National Competitions and it is recognised that the control of playing venues is exercised solely by the venue owners.

32.5 The playing facilities for Clubs in the National Basketball League must be of a quality deemed by Basketball England to be suitable for the level of the competition. This must be in line with the Basketball England Facilities Standards Document (Appendix 5).

32.6 Clubs shall ensure that their home venues comply with current government health and safety legislation and are able to provide documentation in support of that fact.

In particular, clubs are expected to provide: • The venues risk assessment • The venues up to date health and safety certification • The venues proof of public liability insurance

32.7 Venues are subject to approval by Basketball England, and must have suitable accommodation for spectators in line with the Basketball England Facilities Standards Document (Appendix 5).

32.8 Each Home Club is responsible for providing a level of stewarding suitable for both spectator control and for Match Officials. A breach of this Regulation 32.8 will result in the imposition of a fixed penalty in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

33 Match Programmes and Team Lists

33.1 The Home Team shall provide a Match Programme in line with the Basketball England Standards Document; and

33.2 Teams are required to provide their opponents with a comprehensive Team list at least seven days prior to the Match.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 48 of 128 34 Equipment

34.1 The Home Club shall ensure that its home venue provides an electronic scoreboard and game clock which can be read by the Players, Match Officials and spectators throughout the course of the Match. The clock must show the remaining time of the game in minutes and seconds. In the event of a game clock being of such construction that it is not possible for both Teams to have an equally good view of it the Home Team must notify the all parties at the pre- Match meeting.

34.2 For all Matches in the Senior National Basketball League and Under 18 & 16 Premier Leagues a suitable 24-second device, visible to all participants, must be provided for the administration of the 24-seconds rule. A visible shot clock shall be located at each end of the playing court, ideally above the backboard, or in a position on the floor diagonally opposite each other and must be visible to the table officials. The device must have a digital display and countdown and must reset to 24 seconds and 14 seconds where required.

34.3 The Home Club shall ensure that in respect of each Match played at its home venue, pressure-release rings are used and suitable padding is fixed to the backboard edges in all Senior, U18 & U16 Matches played at its home venue.

35 Display of Team Names and Sponsorship

The Home Club shall be responsible for the display of Team names any relevant material relating to the competition (e.g. sponsors’ names) at the venue, as Basketball England may from time to time notify the Home Club. Any breach of this Regulation 35 may result in the imposition of a fixed penalty in accordance with Regulation 49.16.

36 Tickets

36.1 Each Home Club shall make available 17 seats for:

36.1.1 officers of Basketball England and their guests – 5;

36.1.2 directors of Away Teams and their guests – 4;

36.1.3 a guest of the Commissioner, Crew Chiefs, Table Officials and Statisticians - 8

36.1.4 Basketball England Officiating Coaches – 2.

36.2 The seats made available in accordance with Regulation 36.1 above may be reallocated if they have not been taken up 30 minutes prior to the scheduled Tip off time, except where the Home Club has been given prior notification.

36.3 The Home Club shall also provide complimentary tickets:

36.3.1 to all Matches played under the jurisdiction of Basketball England:

(a) Honorary Officers – 1;

(b) Members of Executive Board - 1 and Guest;

(c) Regional Representatives – 1;

(d) Staff of Basketball England - 1 and Guest;

National Basketball League Regulations Page 49 of 128 (e) National Team Coaches and Managers – 1;

(f) Match Officials appointed by Basketball England - Guest

36.3.2 to all Matches promoted by Basketball England for:

(a) Honorary Officers - 1 and Guest;

(b) Members of Executive Board - 1 and Guest;

(c) Regional Representatives – 1;

(d) Staff of Basketball England - 1 and Guest;

(e) Match Officials – Guest.

37 Team Bench

37.1 The Home Team shall, for all Matches, have the Team Bench and its Team’s own basket on the left side of the scorer’s table, facing the playing court, at the tip off.

37.2 Notwithstanding the provisions of Regulation 37.1 above, if the two Teams agree, they may interchange the Team Benches and/or baskets.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 50 of 128 PLAYING KIT

38 Team Uniforms

38.1 Team uniforms must comply with the official rules of basketball (as updated and defined by FIBA) http://www.fiba.basketball/documents

38.2 Team Uniforms may carry advertising subject to any requirement from time to time specified by, and the prior approval of, Basketball England.

7. Permitted uniform/equipment contrary to the FIBA rules:

7.1. Socks do not have to be the same dominant colour for all team members but do need to be visible. 7.2. Players are permitted to wear a hijab. 7.3. All players on the team who wear arm and leg compression sleeves, headgear, wristbands and headbands and tapings, do not need to be the same solid colour. 7.4. Any other equipment not specifically mentioned in this article must be approved by Basketball England.

39 Colours

39.1 In the event of a known colour clash, the Away Team shall change to colours that provide a suitable contrast to those worn by the Home Team. Should a colour clash become evident at the venue or during the pre-Match meeting, the Home Team shall change to a colour providing a suitable contrast to that of the Away Team. In the event of a dispute on a Match day as to whether there is a colour clash, the Crew Chief shall make the final decision which shall be binding on both Teams.

39.2 Each Club must register details of its first choice colours (vests and shorts) with Basketball England. The Home Team must always wear its complete registered colours. It is the responsibility of the Away Team to ensure that its uniforms contrast sufficiently with those worn by the Home Team, and in any case of doubt, it is recommended that the Home Team have two alternative uniforms available. It is also recommended that the Home Team also ensures that a set of uniforms, dissimilar from their first choice colours, are available at the venue, for use by them in case of an unavoidable colour clash.

39.3 After 31 August, no Club may change its registered first choice of colours, except with the special agreement of Basketball England.

39.4 For Matches played on neutral courts, or promoted by Basketball England (including Cup and final ties) Basketball England will decide in its sole discretion which colours are to be worn by each Team.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 51 of 128 MATCH OFFICIALS

40 Appointment and Expenses

40.1 All Match Officials operating in National Basketball League and Cup Competitions must be licensed with Basketball England and must comply with the Basketball England Match Officials Handbook.

40.2 For senior competitions, all referees will be appointed by Basketball England for each Match.

In all competitions, the Home Club shall be responsible for paying the Referee match fees and expenses as set out in Appendix 3.

HMRC expects all payments to be made by bank transfer or cheque. All officials are responsible for paying their own taxes and National Insurance and must comply with HMRC regulations.

Payments by BACS must be paid within 7 clear working days of conclusion of the match. Where payments are not received on the 8th day Basketball England will not appoint any officials to the next home game until payment is made. If no payment is made 5 days prior to the next scheduled match, then the game will be forfeited. For clubs who breach this on the second occasion they will be required to make payment in advance or on the day by BACS or by alternative payment option listed below.

Payments made in cheque or cash must be made prior to the match.

Any failed payments will result in disciplinary action against the club in line with regulation 49.

40.3 For age group competitions the following shall apply:

40.3.1 For all Junior NBL games the Crew Chief (and on occasions, the Umpire) may be appointed by Basketball England for each Match. When an official is not appointed by Basketball England, the Home Club is responsible for the appointment of licensed, qualified neutral official(s) who must have no connection with the Home Club (the only exception to this is in line with Regulation 40.3.6).

40.3.4 In the event of a Home Club appointing an official that does not meet all of the above regulations (40.3.1 – 40.3.3) the game will be forfeited and the club may be subject to disciplinary procedures.

40.3.5 For Junior NBL Quarter Final Playoff matches onwards and Junior National Cup Semi Final matches onwards a neutral Crew Chief and umpire will be appointed by Basketball England.

40.3.6 In the case where the Home Club appoint the match officials, they must meet the following criteria (i) Must be licenced with Basketball England as a referee. (ii) In the case that a referee is under 18, his or her co-official must be at least 18 years old, qualified (Level 2 minimum), and licenced as a referee with Basketball England. (i) No siblings/family taking part in fixture. (ii) Is not registered to participate in the same competition.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 52 of 128 (iii) The Crew Chief must be completely independent from the club and not hold any position in any capacity within a club.

The number of referees, at each level, that should be appointed to each League and/or Playoff Match should be as follows;

League Number of Referees Number of Referees (Level 2) (Level 1)

Under 18 Premier & Conference 2 0 U16 Premier & Conference U14 Premier

Under 16 Regional 1 1 Under 14 Conference & Regional U12 Leagues

Basketball England reserves the right restrict any referee from officiating in any fixture if they are not deemed competent and don’t meet the required standard.

Any breach of this regulation will result in the game being declared forfeit by the Home Club.

40.4 If a Commissioner is appointed by Basketball England in accordance with Regulation 27.1 above, the Home Club will be informed and shall pay the Commissioner’s match fee and expenses as set out in Appendix 3.

40.4 The Away Team may exercise its right to nominate a Team Representative to be seated at the Scorer's table with the agreement of the Crew Chief.

40.5 If a Commissioner is not appointed in accordance with regulation 27.1 above, the Crew Chief shall be responsible for such duties of the Commissioner as they may be capable of performing.

40.6 For appointments to all National Competition Finals, Basketball England will determine the appropriate match fee and mileage rate and or the level of expenses that will apply.

40.7 All NBL Fixtures shall be publish online via the Basketball England website a list of all fixtures and all Senior Referee appointments only will be published on Assignr website. It is the responsibility of the Match Official’s to gain access to this information on a weekly basis. Should a Club alter any of the information after 5.00pm on a Friday, the Home Club shall be responsible for informing the Match Officials of the change and where an official attends a fixture that has been cancelled/postponed the Home Team is liable for the travel expenses and half of the match fee.

41 Table Officials

41.1 Table Officials shall be provided by the Home Club, who should be neutral officials and not associated with the Home Club where possible. It is the responsibility of the Home Club to pay the Table Officials expenses in accordance with the current rates of Basketball England set out in Appendix 3. All Table Officials must wear the approved Basketball England uniform.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 53 of 128 41.2 The number of Table Officials, at each level, that should be appointed to each League and/or Playoff Match should be as follows, this includes 24 second operators:

League Number of Number of Number of Table Officials Table Officials Table Officials (Level 3) (Level 2) (Level 1)

Division One Men 3 0 0

Division Two Men 2 1 0

Division Three Men 1 2 0

Division One Women 2 1 0

Division Two Women 1 2 0

Under 18/16 Premier 1 1 1

Under18/16 Conference/ 0 1 1 Regional

Under 14 Leagues 0 1 1

Under 12 Leagues 0 0 2

41.3 In any cup competition, the appointment of Table Officials should be commensurate with the Division in which the Home Team competes.

Failure to meet these regulations will result in an automatic fine being imposed (See Regulation 49.16).

42 Statisticians

42.1 Statisticians shall be provided by the Home Club. It is the responsibility of the Home Club to pay the Statisticians expenses in accordance with the current rates of Basketball England set out in Appendix 3. All Statisticians must wear the approved Basketball England uniform.

42.2 For Division One Men, Division One Women and Division Two Men games, or games where teams from these divisions meet in Cup competitions, two statisticians who hold as a minimum the Introduction to Statistics qualification must be appointed to the game. Failure to meet these regulations will result in an automatic fine being imposed (See Regulation 49.16).

43 Referees

Referees must wear the current Basketball England Officiating uniform, for all games in National Competitions.

Clubs may submit reports on the handling of the Match by Referees. Any such reports should be submitted to Basketball England within 48 hours following the Match to [email protected].

44 Failure to Arrive / Delay

National Basketball League Regulations Page 54 of 128 44.1 All Match Officials must ensure that they are present at the venue 1 hour prior to the scheduled tip off time and ensure that they are present on the playing court 20 minutes prior to the scheduled tip off time.

44.2 All fixtures require two suitably qualified referees in line with regulation 40.3.6 for the game to take place. If it is not possible to allocate two referees by 24 hours prior to the game taking place, then the game will be cancelled. Should the teams not agree to a postponement, the matter will be referred to the Competitions Review Panel to determine an outcome If two referees were appointed to a game, however, should one or both Referees withdraw less than 24 hours prior to the game due to (a) injury, (b) illness, (c) unforeseen circumstances), then the following shall apply

44.2.1 A member of either team who holds a suitable qualification and licenced with Basketball England, can take over with agreement from both teams. 44.2.2 If no suitable replacement official is available, then the game can go ahead with one Match official, only if both teams agree to this, and the Referee also agrees and is minimum Level 2 qualified and 18 years of age. Alternatively, either team can choose to postpone the game. If the game is subsequently cancelled or postponed as a decision by either team, the game must be rearranged for a later date in line with regulation 23 in terms of re-arranging a fixture and any costs incurred are the responsibility of the home team.

44.2.3 In the event of a dispute the home team will be asked to provide evidence to BE of the Match Official’s appointments within 7 days of the original fixture date, that should have taken place. Should such evidence not be available, this may result in game being declared Forfeit by the home club.

44.3 Should both Match Officials fail to arrive, the Commissioner (if present) and the Court Manager will follow Regulations 44.2.1 to 44.2.4 (inclusive) as far as possible, in order for the Match to take place.

44.4 The Commissioner and the Team Representatives, having been informed that one or both of the floor officials are on their way and that they will arrive before the scheduled Tip off time will decide, bearing in mind the distance being travelled by the absent Match Official(s), whether they will be allowed to officiate.

44.5 Once a Match Official is substituted, this shall not normally be changed, even if the designated Match Official(s) arrives. The same two Match Officials shall continue throughout the Match. The Commissioner/Crew Chief shall have discretion to dis-apply this Regulation 44.5 in exceptional circumstances.

44.6 In accordance with the rules of the Match, all Table Officials must be present at the scorer's table 30 minutes prior to the start of the Match. If a Table Official is not present at the scorer's table 30 minutes prior to the scheduled Tip off time without prior communication as to the reason for the delay (travel delay/ unforeseen circumstances), the Commissioner or Court Manager should take the necessary steps to appoint suitable replacements.

44.7 If a Table Official has failed to arrive 20 minutes before the scheduled starting time, and if no communication has been received by the organisers the following procedure should be adopted:

44.7.1 If another suitably qualified table official is at the venue or in the

National Basketball League Regulations Page 55 of 128 immediate vicinity he/she shall be informed that their services may be required;

44.7.2 If there is no suitably qualified Table Official available, the Commissioner, in consultation with the Crew Chief shall decide who shall be the replacement Table Official;

44.7.3 If the Table Official fails to arrive by the time the Crew Chief signals three minutes, then the substitute official will be the timekeeper; or

44.7.4 Once the Table Official is substituted this shall not normally be changed, even if the designated Table Official(s) arrives.

44.8 In the event of injury to or illness of a Match Official during the course of a Match, the Commissioner and/or Crew Chief may appoint a substitute at their discretion in accordance with the procedure set out in Regulation 44.2.1 to 44.2.4 (inclusive) above.

45 Media

Match Officials are not permitted to make comment to representatives of the media; on any public websites and/or on social media including any electronic format over any incidents that may have occurred during Matches in which they officiate. Match Officials who breach this Regulation 39.11 will be referred to the Disciplinary Officer in accordance with Regulation 49.1.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 56 of 128 MEDICAL MATTERS

46 First Aid and Equipment

The Home Club shall be responsible for providing suitable first aid equipment at the venue and all teams shall have a first aider present, qualified to a minimum of “basic first aid” (one-hour training).

47 Blood Injuries

During a Match, the Crew Chief must order any Player who is bleeding, or has an open wound, to leave the playing area. The Player may return to the court only after the bleeding has stopped and the area affected, or the open wound, has been completely and securely covered.

48 Anti-Doping

48.1 Any person for whom a positive result has been determined in respect of the use of a prohibited substance (or refusing to take a test for such substances) shall automatically be referred to UK Anti Doping who will determine the appropriate penalty under the WADA code.

48.2 If a Player has been found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation during a Competition, the result of the Match shall remain valid. However, in such a case, the Player in question shall forfeit any medals and prizes.

48.3 In accordance with UK Anti-Doping Policy, where more than one member of a team has been notified of a possible Anti- Doping Rule Violation in connection with an Event, the team may be subjected to Target Testing during the Event Period.

Furthermore, if more than two members of a team are found to have committed an Anti -Doping Rule Violation during an Event Period, this shall be treated as misconduct pursuant to the disciplinary rules for which an appropriate sanction shall be imposed on the team (e.g., loss of points, Disqualification from a Competition or Event, or other sanction) over and above any Consequences that are imposed on the individual participants committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

In addition, the ruling body of the Event may provide in the Event rules for further (Event-specific) sanctions to be imposed on the team in such circumstances

48.3 Players will receive a provisional suspension in accordance with Article 7.7 of the UK Anti-Doping Rules 2015. UKAD in conjunction with Basketball England will issue a ‘Notice of Charge’ to both the Player and the Club.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 57 of 128 DISCIPLINE AND DISPUTES

49 Disciplinary Action

49.1 Disciplinary matters related to misconduct by Participants, Match Officials, Club Directors and other Club Officials or members, occurring during or immediately prior to, or following a Match will be considered by the Disciplinary Officer and/or Basketball England as appropriate. The Disciplinary Officer and/or Basketball England as appropriate shall also be responsible for dealing with all other matters pertaining to misconduct within the sport.

49.2 In special cases, as determined by the Disciplinary Officer in his or her sole discretion, a special Commission, comprising three persons, shall be formed to consider a particular disciplinary matter.

49.3 Participants, Match Officials, Club Directors and other Club Officials or members may be fined and/or suspended for any disciplinary matter as decided by the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England. A fine up to £10,000 may be imposed for any single offence. Instead of, or in addition to, fines and/or suspensions, the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England may take such action in respect of the outcome of a game including ordering a replay, deducting points, declaring the Match void. The penalties for common offences are set out in Regulation 49.16. The suggested penalties are guidelines only and the imposition of such penalty is at the discretion of the Disciplinary Officer/ Basketball England dependent on the circumstances on each offence.

49.4 The Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England may take disciplinary action in respect of any matter that it considers to be liable to bring disrepute to the sport of Basketball and/or Basketball England. Any offence committed at a Venue before, during or after a Match by any Participants, Match Officials, Club Directors and other Club Officials or members will be referred to the Disciplinary Officer under Regulation 49.1. The Disciplinary Officer may also co-opt as an ‘assistant’ any special technical advisor where appropriate in order to assist in reaching a decision. The Disciplinary Officer shall at all times determine what evidence is admissible and what is not.

49.5 Any Club or individual may appeal against a decision of the Disciplinary Officer, Officer of Basketball England or Competitions Review Panel by submitting an appeal with Basketball England as follows:

49.5.1 The grounds for the appeal must be submitted by the appellant in writing to Basketball England within seven (7) days (unless otherwise specified) of (i) the appellant being notified of the relevant decision or (ii) the date of any incident incurring automatic disciplinary points.

49.5.2 The appeal must be accompanied by a deposit of £250 for senior competitions and age group competitions.

49.5.3 An appeals panel appointed by Basketball England will review the appeal submission and will elect in its sole discretion to determine the validity of the appeal either (i) based solely on the written submission, or (ii) on the basis of the written submission and by hearing oral evidence given by the appellant together with any other party or parties who, in the appeal panel’s opinion may be affected by the decision. For the avoidance of doubt, a personal hearing shall be convened solely at the discretion of the appeal panel chair and is not an automatic right of the appellant.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 58 of 128 49.5.4 Any decision of the appeals panel shall be final and binding on the parties.

49.5.5 The appeals panel shall determine whether the deposit is returned to the appellant in full, in part, or not at all.

49.5.6 The Appeals Panel may award costs and expenses against the appellant as it deems appropriate.

49.6 In the event of a Participant being disqualified or expelled from a Match, will automatically be considered by the Disciplinary Officer under the following process:

49.6.1 Each Match Official is required to submit a written report on the matter, to Basketball England within 48 hours of the match finishing.

49.6.2 Where a Participant has been disqualified and video of the incident is available this must be submitted to Basketball England within 72 hours.

49.6.3 The Participant and/or the Club may also submit written reports if they so choose. Each of these reports shall be prepared by its author making clear as to evidence seen directly by the author.

49.6.4 If a Participant is guilty of misconduct not involving disqualification, which any of the Match Officials consider to be of sufficient gravity to warrant consideration by Basketball England, a report should be submitted by them and the Club concerned notified accordingly, if appropriate.

49.7 A system of cumulative "penalty points" will apply, and a one game suspension comes into force whenever a Participant's total penalty points reaches (or exceeds) each of the following totals: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 etc. The suspension will take effect from / or after 14 days after the disciplinary incident, as determined by the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England.

49.7.1 Disqualifications automatically invoke the following minimum penalty points:

Player or Team Follower 7 Coach 10

49.7.2 In addition the following automatic fines will apply:

2nd Disqualification in Season £75 fine 3rd & Any Subsequent Disqualification in Season £150 fine

49.8 The Disciplinary Officer will consider whether any additional penalty points should be added after consideration of the reports referred to in Regulation 49.6. This will normally be the case for disqualifications of a grievous nature. In the event of a report being submitted related to misconduct not involving disqualification, this will be dealt with in accordance with Regulations 49.12 and 49.13, and, if the report is accepted, an appropriate number of penalty points allocated to the Participant concerned. Where visual evidence is presented, and this evidence indicates that other persons may be liable for disciplinary action, this will only be actioned after the relevant party has been notified. Disciplinary points incurred within 6 weeks prior to the end of a season will be carried forward until 30th November of the following season. 49.9 Disciplinary action in respect of automatic penalty points incurred by

National Basketball League Regulations Page 59 of 128 disqualification will come into force on the 14th day after the incident or as otherwise decided by the Disciplinary Officer/Basketball England during which time the Participant will be able to appeal under Regulation 49.5. This does not preclude the Disciplinary Officer for imposing further penalty points or a fine for the incident. Whenever a fine is imposed on a Participant under Regulation 49.7, they are suspended from all basketball activity until the fine has been paid in full to Basketball England.

49.10 At the end of each season, all cumulative totals will revert to zero, except as set out in Regulation 49.8.

49.11 Match Officials shall not make any recommendation or comment, either in their report or otherwise, as to the disciplinary action that they consider to be appropriate.

49.12 Disciplinary action as a result of a decision of the Disciplinary Officer/Basketball England will normally come into effect on the 14th day after the incident or as otherwise decided by the Disciplinary Officer/ Basketball England. In all cases should an appeal be lodged against a decision of the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England or automatic points, any disciplinary action will be suspended until such time as the appeal is heard.

49.13 Any club, player or official offering or receiving any reward or other inducement to or from another club or person to win or lose a match, or being found guilty of placing a wager on any basketball match in which they are involved, shall be deemed guilty of misconduct, and shall be dealt with in accordance with Regulation 49.4

49.14 Any club which deliberately fields a weakened team without what Basketball England considers to be good reason, or is deemed to have deliberately lost a match, shall be deemed to be guilty of misconduct and may be dealt with in accordance with item 49.4. Basketball England may require teams to provide medical certificates in cases of doubt regarding illness or injury.

49.15 Participants and or club officials shall not directly or indirectly approach Match Officials before, during or after the Match to give information or make comment which may be regarded as being intended to influence a Match Official's judgment or neutrality in any way. Such action will be regarded as serious misconduct and the offender and the club they represent will be dealt with in accordance with item 49.4.

49.16 The following fines will automatically be imposed:

Offence Penalty

Failure to provide qualified and licensed £25 per official and possible Table Officials and/or Statisticians: disciplinary action for the club (Regulation 41)

Forfeiture of fixture: (Regulation 24) Senior: See Regulation 24 Junior: £100 - 1st offence £200 – subsequent

National Basketball League Regulations Page 60 of 128 Failure to attend the pre-match meeting £50 and/or late arrival of team for pre Match meeting (5 players): (Regulation 26.5)

Failure to email Scoresheet as required: £40 - 1st offence (Regulations 30.1 and 30.6 as applicable) £60 - 2nd offence 1 Pts deduction – subsequent

Failure to live webcast the FIBA LiveStats £15 – 1st game as required: (Regulation 30.2) £30 -2nd Offence 1 pts deduction -subsequent

Failure to update result service: £15 - 1st offence (Regulations 30.4 and 30.5 as applicable) £30 – subsequent

Failure to video and submit/upload the £150.00 – 1st Offence game tape to HUDL for game breakdown £250.00 – 2nd Offence (regulation 30.3 and 30.8) £500.00 – 3rd Offence and final written warning Immediate expulsion from league – 4th Offence

Failure to Live stream league fixture. £200.00 – 1st Offence (regulation 30.4) £400.00 – 2nd Offence £500.00 – 3rd Offence and final written warning

Immediate expulsion from league – 4th Offence

Failure to provide refreshments where £50 required: (Regulation 21.6)

Failure to field 8 players: (Regulations 31.1) £50

Failure to provide appropriate scoreboard / £100 24 seconds device: (Regulations 34.1 & 34.2)

Failure to provide adequate stewarding: £50 (Regulations 32.8)

National Basketball League Regulations Page 61 of 128 Fielding an Ineligible Participant: Minimum £500 plus consideration by (Regulations 17.9.4) the Competitions Review Panel

Failure to ensure branding & visible £25 per offence numbering shirts/court: (National Basketball League Standards)

Failure to submit nominations for the ‘End £150.00 per team of season’ awards when requested

Team arriving on the playing court up to 15 £50 minutes after the scheduled tip off time: (Regulations 22.7)

Clubs will also be fined at the discretion of Basketball England for their failure to meet any of the National Basketball League Recommended Standards. The level of fines will be determined by Basketball England in its sole discretion.

49.17 A Participant under suspension for a Match may not participate in the Match, or act as a Participant from 20 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the Match, until after the end of the Match. They may be present in the Venue as a spectator unless otherwise stated by the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England. A person under suspension from a Match is also barred from participating in any other Match(es) in the Competition(s) for which they may be eligible, that take place on the same day as the Match specified for their suspension, unless otherwise decided by the Disciplinary Officer/ Basketball England.

49.18 Failure to observe a suspension or breaching any condition applied as part of a suspension is classed as a breach of suspension. Any breach of suspension will result in the case being referred to the Disciplinary Officer and further disciplinary action will be taken.

49.20 Suspension will apply to Matches in the National Competitions. They will not apply to other events, including FIBA competitions, unless otherwise determined by the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England.

49.21 The Disciplinary Officer shall have the power to amend the awarding of automatic points if they are of the opinion that a miscarriage of justice has taken place.

50. Disputes

50.1 Any dispute or complaint relating to a Match must be recorded in accordance with the procedure indicated in Regulation 50.5 and followed by submission of a written report, which must be received at the Headquarters of Basketball England within 72 hours of the completion of the Match in question. Such submission must be accompanied by a deposit of £100. The deposit may be returned if the complaint is considered by Basketball England to be valid. Any Club that submits a complaint under this Regulation 50.1 must also send a copy of the complaint to the opposing Club, and to the Match Officials for the Match in question. Under no circumstances can any complaint be submitted which seeks to question the validity of the result of the Match on the grounds of the

National Basketball League Regulations Page 62 of 128 quality of Match Officials appointed by Basketball England or its nominees.

50.2 Disputes or protests in respect of Matches during an event organised by Basketball England must be recorded in accordance with 50.1, and submitted in writing within one hour of the completion of the match, accompanied by a deposit of £100, to a member of the Technical Commission or where no such person is present, to the Commissioner, or the senior representative of Basketball England in attendance.

50.3 If either team, or the Match Officials, has any reason to consider the circumstances may be such as to invalidate or forfeit a match, this should be stated at the start of the game prior to tip off, and reported to Basketball England by the Match Officials and the Home team. Should a match then take place or continue under the existing conditions the game started with, it then cannot be disputed. The Scoresheet and all reports forwarded to Basketball England who will determine the validity of the events.

50.4 If prior to or during the course of a Match, the coach, captain or representative of a competing Team has a complaint related to these Regulations, they should notify the Commissioner (or Crew Chief in the absence of a Commissioner), who shall record the matter. The Crew Chief should be notified immediately if the ball is dead and the clock is stopped, or at the first opportunity thereafter. The captain of the Team shall make their observations to the Crew Chief in a calm and courteous manner. The Crew Chief may explain their decision or, if necessary, may examine the Scoresheet and check the score and the playing time remaining. The interruption of play thus caused, should it exceed 30 seconds, shall be charged as a Time-Out to the team in question, unless the Crew Chief, recognising the validity of the observation, decides otherwise.

50.5 If, at the end of a Match, a Team considers that it has suffered unreasonable harm by virtue of any occurrence connected with the Match, with the exception of decisions by the match officials, the captain of the Team may sign the Scoresheet "under protest". The captain of the team wishing to sign the scoresheet under protest must notify the Crew Chief immediately after the final buzzer. Once the final buzzer sounds the scorer is required to record the time at the bottom of the scoresheet. The Crew Chief should ensure that the Scoresheet remains open until the 15-minute period has elapsed. If there is no request to protest the game, the scoresheet can be signed by all officials to mark the closing of the game. All Match Officials should remain at the disposal of the Crew Chief until the Scoresheet has been signed by all parties. If a Team signs the Scoresheet "under protest", it must then adopt the procedure indicated under Regulations 50.1 and 50.2 to ensure the protest is valid. Regardless of subsequent actions, by signing the Scoresheet "under protest", a club becomes automatically liable to pay the deposit of £100

50.6 All disputes and protests relating to Matches will be considered by the Competitions Review Panel.

50.7 For disputes relating to Standard Contracts or transfers, the parties involved may apply to Basketball England to convene an arbitration to resolve the dispute. Any such arbitration shall be governed by the Arbitration Act 1996 and amounts to a binding arbitration agreement for the purposes of Section 6 of that Act. The seat of the arbitration shall be England. All costs relating to the arbitration shall be determined by the arbitrator(s) in their absolute discretion.

50.8 Where the query or complaint relates to complaints about the governance or administration of the Competition by Basketball England, such complaints will be dealt with by the Chief Executive.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 63 of 128 MISCELLANEOUS

51 Governing Law

These Regulations and any disputes or differences arising in relation to them shall be governed in all respects by English law.

52 Jurisdiction

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Regulations (including any dispute or question about the existence or validity of these Regulations) shall be resolved in accordance with these Regulations and/ or the Articles of Association of Basketball England and decisions made pursuant to these Regulations shall be final and binding on all Clubs, players and other parties.

53 Severability

If any of the provisions of these Regulations shall be found to be void or unenforceable, such provisions shall be deemed to be deleted from these Regulations and the remaining provisions of these Regulations shall continue in full force and effect.

54 Variations

These Regulations may be varied from time to time (whether by way of alteration, addition, deletion or otherwise) by the Executive Board.

Basketball England shall give not less than thirty clear days’ notice to each Club of any changes to these Regulations before they are effective unless exceptional circumstances apply and in which case as much notice as is reasonably practicable shall be given.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 64 of 128 APPENDIX 1 – LICENCE CARDS & AGE ELIGIBILITY

Category Born Between

Senior Players 31/08/98 or earlier

Under 23 01/09/1998 -31/08/2001

Under 20 31/09/2001 -31/08/2003

Under 18 01/09/2003 – 31/08/2007

Under 16 01/09/2005 – 31/08/2009

Under 14 01/09/2007 – 31/08/2011

Under 12 01/09/2009 - 31/08/2012

Category Eligibility

Eligible only to play in Senior competitions, a Senior player must have attained their 15th birthday.

Under 20 Eligible to play in Senior competitions.

Eligible to play in Under 18 competitions and above. minimum age permitted is for the Under 18 player to be attaining their 15th birthday from the 1st September 2021 this permits all players in School Year 10.

Eligible to play in Under 16 competitions and above. minimum age permitted is for the Under 16 player to be attaining their 13th birthday from the 1st September 2021 this permits all players in School Year 8.

Eligible to play in Under 14 competitions and above. minimum age permitted is for the Under 14 player to be attaining their 11th birthday from the 1st September 2021 this permits all players in School Year 6.

Eligible to play in Under 12 competitions and above. minimum age permitted is for the Under 12 player to be attaining their 10th birthday from the 1st September 2021 this permits all players in School Year 5.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 65 of 128 APPENDIX 2 – LICENCE FEES

TEAM ENTRY FEES DESCRIPTION COST Division One Men (inc. Cup & Trophy where eligible) £700 Division Two Men (inc. National Cup) £525 Division Three Men (inc. National Cup) £475 Division One Women (inc. National Cup) £375 Division Two Women (inc. National Cup) £325

Junior NBL – Premier League Entry £110 Junior NBL – Conference League Entry £90 Junior NBL – Regional League Entry £70 Junior NBL – Under 12 competitions £70 Junior National Cup Entry £35

CLUB AFFILIATION FORM

DESCRIPTION COST

Senior Only Club £60

Senior & Junior Club £60

Junior Only Club £45

MEMBER REGISTRATION FEES

NBL COMPETITION LICENCE (includes membership)

LICENCE TYPE NATIONALITY CATEGORY FEE

National NBL – All Divisions £45.00 Senior Player Non-National NBL – All Divisions £515.00

National NBL – All Divisions £40.00 Under 20 Player Non-National NBL - All Divisions £40.00

Under 18 £18.50

Under 16 £18.50

Players 18 and under Under 14 £18.50

Under 12 £18.50

Senior team £50.00 Coach All Under 18 team £30.00

Bench Personnel All All £23.75

Senior NBL games £55.00 Referee All Junior NBL games £21.75

Senior NBL games £38.00 Table Official All Junior NBL games £21.75

Statistician All Senior NBL games £38.00

Note: A FIBA fee will be added to any competition licences (if applicable).

National Basketball League Regulations Page 66 of 128 APPENDIX 3 – MATCH FEES AND EXPENSES

Table Type of Match Referees Officials & Sta&s&cians

3-Person Officiating £35.00 £23.00 NBL Division One Mens National Cup Womens National Cup QF onwards

WNBL Division One Playoffs QF onwards NBL Division Two Playoffs QF onwards

NBL Division Two £39.00 £20.00

WNBL Division One Women’s National Cup Rounds 1 and 2 £33.00 £17.00

NBL Division Three incl. Playoffs.

WNBL Division 2 incl. Playoffs. £23.00 £11.00

Under 18, Under 16 League, National Cup & Playoff £18.00 £9.00 Matches

Under 12 League, Under 14 League & Playoff Matches £13.00 £6.00

For Junior NBL regular season games the total match fee and expenses that may be claimed each game by each official shall not exceed a combined total of £30.00.

For all Junior Playoff matches the £30.00 max claim will not apply to ensure suitable officials can be appointed.

1. Expenses paid to Referees will either be in the form of:

(a) Travel by Rail: the actual fare paid up to a maximum of second-class ordinary return; and (b) Travel by Road: 35.0p per mile. This figure does not apply where the official is using a company car, in which case the rate shall be 18.0p per mile for all mileage. (NB - see also official’s expenses claim forms for further details). All receipts for train/bus travel should be supplied along with the expenses claim form.

2. For officials who are officiating more than one game in a day, travel expenses should be split between each home team equally.

3. For all officials, a subsistence allowance of £10.00 may be claimed when an official is necessarily away from home in excess of 10 hours. (This paragraph shall not apply to Basketball England National Competition Finals events).

In all competitions, the Home Club shall be responsible for paying the match fees and expenses (all receipts for train/bus travel should be supplied along with the expenses claim form) as set out in Appendix 3.

HMRC expects all payments to be made by bank transfer or cheque. All officials are responsible for paying their own taxes and National Insurance and must comply with HMRC regulations.

Payments by BACS must be paid within 7 clear working days of conclusion of the match. Payments made in cheque or cash must be made prior to the match. Any failed payments will result in disciplinary action against the club in line with regulation 49.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 67 of 128

APPENDIX 4 – NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE STANDARDS

U18/16 U14 U14 U12 U18/16 Premier Conference/Reg Conference/ D1/2 Men D3 Men D1 Women D2 Women Premier Mixed/ League ional League Regional League Girls League

Statistics Mandatory use of FIBA LiveStats software for the provision of statistics

Provision of statistics desirable but not mandatory

HUDL Mandatory use of video recording a game and uploading to crossover for game

footage breakdown Div 1 Only Live streaming Mandatory use of filming the game via BE Youtube Channel and having internet connect to Live Stream the fixture.

First Aid A Sports Therapist and/or First Aid person to be provided by home team. It is

desirable for each team to have a first- aider in their team.

First Aid at Work Certificate / Emergency Aid Certificate holder is recommended to be present at each game/venue.

Promotion - A club should PA/Music, court announcer and team promote its matches and the introductions. club to a level commensurate with its status. A website is Clubs are required to supply media reports desirable. and complete the relevant media documents following the game.

Clubs are required to supply forms of digital media as requested to assist in the

promotion of the game and reporting. Photos / videos

National Basketball League Regulations Page 68 of 119 Match Programme - to be Two colour cover, Professional design, supplied for each home game Minimum 8 pages. commensurate with its status. This must include all relevant Two colour cover, Professional design, sponsors’ adverts as provided Minimum 4 pages. by Basketball England. Each Desirable but not mandatory. programme must carry any and all adverts for Basketball England sponsors as required.

Game day personnel That the club has the appropriate level of stewarding at all matches. Minimum one steward per 100 people.

Ensure that there are an adequate number

of club personnel for match day tasks and stewarding.

Coach Qualification and those Level III Coach, assistant coach, and a administrating the club. Secretary with experience of club administration. Level II Coach and a Secretary with All Clubs are required to have sufficient coaching and playing experience of club administration. personnel to enable ALL League fixtures to be completed on the Player coaches permitted but must have an relevant days. assistant coach named on the score sheet

Team Manager required

Identified person responsible for marketing, promotion and PR

National Basketball League Regulations Page 69 of 119 APPENDIX 5 - BASKETBALL ENGLAND FACILITIES STANDARDS

Playing Court

The playing court shall be marked with 50 mm lines, as per the Official Basketball Rules. Lines should be of a contrasting colour to the floor colour.

The height of the ceiling or the lowest obstruction above the playing floor shall be a minimum of 7 metres.

Lighting should be uniform across the playing area and a minimum of 500 lux.

The temperature of the playing area should be between 16°C -19°C.

The official size court for Senior Division 1 Men and Women and Division 2 Men is 28m x 15m. Venues with the older court size court size of 26m x 14m are only permitted in Division Three, Division Two Women, and Junior NBL.

The minimum required safety run to any obstruction including table equipment and team benches is 2m for senior competitions and 1m for junior competitions.

Fig.1 Basketball Court Dimensions and Set Up

Advertising boards Advertising boards can be located around the court and must be a minimum of 2m from the end line and side lines. Boards should not exceed a height of 1m.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 70 of 128 Seating Minimum seating requirements: Division One & Two Men* 250 Division Three Men* 100 Division Four Men* 50 Division One Women* 100 Division Two Women* 50 Junior Leagues* (as appropriate) 50

*Must have adequate provision for disability/wheelchair users, this should be of 6 or 1 to every 100 of seated capacity.

Changing Facilities The home club shall ensure that 2 separate changing rooms which can accommodate a minimum of 17 people per team are available and include access to shower and toilet facilities.

A further 2 separate changing rooms which can accommodate 3 people with access to showers and toilet facilities are also required for use by match officials.

Equipment

Ring and Backboards The home club shall ensure that in respect of each match played at its home venue, pressure-release rings meeting European Standard EN 1270 are used with 70 kilogram flex break.

The ring should be fixed to the framework in such a manner so that no force, transmitted by the ring is directly applied to the backboard.

The height of the ring will be 3,050mm from the top edge down to the playing surface. Nets shall be white in colour and suspended from the ring no less than 400mm and 450mm in length.

Fig. 2 Drop down goal support structure example

Backboards shall measure 1,800 mm horizontally and 1,050 mm vertically. Backboards can be made of timber or transparent material with a minimum thickness of 19mm

All lines on the backboards shall be: • In white, if the backboards are transparent. • In black, if the white painted backboards are non-transparent.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 71 of 128 • 50mm in width. Fig. 3 Backboard markings

Suitable padding is fixed to the backboard edges in all Senior, Under 18 and Under 16 matches played at its home venue.

Venues with older backboards measuring 1,800 mm by 1,200 mm must ensure that fixed padding is provided for all levels of competition.

Fig. 4 Backboard Padding Example

Floor type The playing surface should meet the requirements of BS EN 14904:2005. Ball bounce must also achieve a minimum of 90% rebound and friction is to be between 80-110 when measured with a pendulum slip test device. The preferred floor type is an A4 timber floor with FIBA approval. Carpet, solid granwood or macadam floor surfaces are not suitable.

Scoring The Home Club shall ensure that its home venue provides an electronic scoreboard and game clock which can be read by the Players, Match Officials and spectators throughout the course of the Match. The clock must at least show the passing of time in minutes and running score. In the event of a game clock being of such position that it is not possible for both Teams to have an equally good view of it; the Home Team must notify the commissioner at the pre-Match meeting.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 72 of 128 Fig. 5 Basic Scoreboard Example

For Senior Men Division 1 and 2 and Division 1 Women electronic scoreboard with digital countdown to show score, time, team fouls and time-outs are mandatory.

For Matches in the Men's and Women’s League and Cup, the device must have a digital display showing countdown and score.

For all Matches in the Senior National Basketball League and Under 18 & 16 Premier Leagues a suitable 24-second device is required and must reset to 14 seconds. Shot clocks should be visible to all players and officials. Preferred location directly above the backboard.

Fig. 6 Basic Shot Clock Example

Table Equipment The five player foul markers provided for the timer shall be of white colour numbered from 1 to 5 (1 to 4 in black and the number 5 in red).

The two team foul markers provided for the timer shall be of red colour and clearly visible to everyone involved in the game, including the spectators, when positioned on either side of the scorer’s table.

The alternating possession arrow must be positioned in the centre of the scorer’s table and shall be clearly visible to everyone involved in the game, including the spectators.

Electrical or electronic devices may be used but they shall meet the above specifications.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 73 of 128 Basketballs The official approved ball of Basketball England shall be played with for all matches in the National Basketball League. The following ball sizes must be used for all matches in the National Basketball League;

• Senior Men Size 7 (Wilson Solution) • Senior Women Size 6 (Wilson Solution) • Under 18 Boys Size 7 (Wilson Evolution) • Under 18 Girls Size 6 (Wilson Evolution) • Under 16 Boys Size 7 (Wilson Evolution) • Under 16 Girls Size 6 (Wilson Evolution) • Under 14 Girls Size 5 (Wilson Reaction Pro) • Under 14 Boys Size 6 (Wilson Reaction Pro) • Under 12 Girls Size 5 (Wilson Reaction Pro) • Under 12 Mixed Size 5 (Wilson Reaction Pro)

.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 74 of 128

U18/16 U14 U12 NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE FACILITY STANDARDS U18/16 Conference/Reg U14 Premier Conference/Reg Mixed/ D1/2 Men D3 Men D1 Women D2 Women Premier ional League League ional League Girls League League

28 x 15m Playing Court with a minimum run-off of 2m from the court edge to any obstruction (inc. team benches, seating etc) for senior competitions and 1m run off for junior competitions 26 x 14m

Basketball Goals Pressure release rings with 70KG flex 3.05m from floor break with adequate back support frame.

Backboards - 1.8m x 1.05m (minimum 2 backboards made from transparent thickness 19mm), and 1.2m from end material line. Older backboards sized 1.8m x

1.2m must be padded 2 backboards made from transparent or wood material

Backboard sides and lower edge must be padded.

Flooring Timber or synthetic floor meeting standard European Standard EN 14904:2005. Timber Area Elastic A4 floor preferred Spectator Provision 250 seated spectators.

100 seated spectators.

50 seated spectators as required.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 75 of 119

Changing Rooms Two separate 17 person changing rooms with access to shower and toilet facilities for use by home and away teams.

Two separate 3 person changing rooms with access to shower and toilet facilities for match officials (male & female).

Heating/Lighting Recommended temperature comfort for participants and spectators 16°C.

A minimum of 500 Lux lights For televised games a minimum of 1400 Lux is required

Scoreboard Electronic scoreboard with digital countdown to show score, time, team

fouls and time-outs mandatory. Players names and fouls desirable. Running score and electronic / digital

game time to be shown

24 seconds device that must reset to 14 seconds.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 76 of 119 APPENDIX 6 - BASKETBALL ENGLAND GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT REQUIREMENTS

This guidance is to be used for all Tier 2 and Tier 5 governing body endorsement requests made on or after the 1 February 2021.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW OF GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENTS FOR TIER 2 (SPORTSPERSON) AND TIER 5 (TEMPORARY WORKER) CREATIVE AND SPORTING CATEGORIES OF THE POINTS-BASED SYSTEM

This page provides a brief explanation of the endorsement requirements a sport governing body has agreed UK sponsors of Tier 2 (Sportsperson) and/or Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting categories of the points-based system must show.

The Tier 2 (Sportsperson) category is for elite sportspeople and coaches who are internationally established at the highest level and whose employment will make a significant contribution to the development of their sport at the highest level in the UK, and who will base themselves in the UK.

The Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting category is for sportspeople (and their entourage where appropriate) and coaches who are internationally established at the highest level in their sport, and/or will make a significant contribution to the development of their sport in the UK.

Sport governing body is one recognised by one of the home country sports councils for example Sport England. Every governing body must be approved by the Home Office before they are included in Appendix M of the Immigration Rules.

The application process explained: migrants applying to come to the UK under either of the sporting categories above need to be sponsored by an organisation that has a sponsor licence under Tier 2 (Sportsperson) or Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting.

If you wish to sponsor such migrants, you must have a sponsor licence. Before you apply to the Home Office for a licence you must be endorsed by the governing body for your sport. This endorsement confirms to the Home Office that the application for a licence is from a genuine sports club (or equivalent) that has a legitimate requirement to bring migrants to the UK as sportspeople. Once licensed, you can assign certificates of sponsorship to a sportsperson or coach with a job offer that allows them to apply for leave to enter or remain in the UK. Each individual must also have a personal endorsement from the governing body for their sport before you assign the certificate of sponsorship.

The list of governing bodies and the tiers for which they are currently approved by the Home Office is in Appendix M of the Immigration Rules.

Approved governing bodies will work within the Home Office code of practice for sports governing bodies and must comply with any immigration regulations, UK

National Basketball League Regulations Page 77 of 128 legislation and the principles of the points-based system as detailed on the GOV.UK website.

Length of endorsement Governing body endorsements should be issued for a period appropriate to the period of approval for sponsorship or the tier under which the migrant’s application is being made, that is:

Type of Tier Length of endorsement applica&on

Sponsor Tier 2 (Sportsperson) and/or Tier 5 4 years from date of issue (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting)

Migrant Tier 2 (Sportsperson) For an initial maximum period of 3 years, with a further extension of a maximum period of 3 years. If the contract is for fewer than 3 years, it will be issued for the length of the contract.

Migrant Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative For the length of the contract or up and Sporting to a maximum of 12 months, whichever is the shorter period.

Change of employment If a migrant is intending to change employer, their new employer must request a new governing body endorsement. The endorsement can be issued for the length of the contract or to the maximum period permitted within the category, whichever is the shorter. The new employer must assign a new certificate of sponsorship to the migrant to allow them to apply to the Home Office for new leave to remain. Leave to remain must be granted before the migrant can start work with the new employer.

Salary The salary should be agreed as part of the contract between the migrant and the sponsor. This and the other conditions of employment should be at least equal to those normally given to a resident worker for the type of work undertaken. The salary must meet the current requirements of the national minimum wage.

Supplementary Employment Migrants are eligible to undertake supplementary employment under the Home Office supplementary employment regulations. The ‘Supplementary employment’ section of the Tiers 2 & 5: guidance for sponsors has more information on this.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 78 of 128 SECTION 2: REQUIREMENTS

This page explains Basketball England requirements under the Tier 2 (Sportsperson) and Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting categories. The endorsements apply to England, Scotland and Wales.

Consultation The following requirements have been agreed by the Home Office following consultation between Basketball England, Basketball Scotland, Basketball Wales, the British Basketball League, the Women’s British Basketball League.

Review The requirements will be reviewed annually. The next review will be in February 2022.

Length of season The season for basketball runs from mid to late September to late April/ early May.

Requirements The table below shows the endorsement requirements for sponsors and migrants.

Category Requirement Sponsor

Tier 2 Governing body endorsements from Basketball England (Sportsperson) and/ will only be issued for clubs participating in: or Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative • British Basketball League (BBL) and Sporting • Basketball England Division 1 Men • Women's British Basketball League (WBBL)

National Basketball League Regulations Page 79 of 128 Category Requirement Migrant Players Players gradua&ng from the USA and Canada

Tier 2 First time players, including new players (Sportsperson) and/ (previously played in the UK but outside or Tier 5 (Temporary of the 18 months) from USA & Canada and Worker) Creative players coming to the UK who have and Sporting graduated from the USA and Canada must have completed at least 4 years eligibility in the college system (this can include up to 2 years at junior college), having played in either of the following:

• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division 1, 2 or 3

• National Athletic Inter Schools Association

• Canadian Universities – U Sport

Some players take 5 years to complete their 4 years college education due to taking a year out known as red-shirting. Players will not be penalised for following this option.

The playing record should confirm that the player has made a significant contribution to the game. In the previous 2 seasons the player must have played in at least 75% of games they were eligible to play in, in each of the last two seasons, which includes conference and tournament games. Interna&onal players

Clubs applying for a governing body endorsement for an international player will need to demonstrate, that the player has played in at least 75% of their national team’s available games for a playing nation ranked in the top 20 in the world in the previous 2 seasons as measured by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Available games international games include friendly fixtures, unless it can be proved that they were not available for those games.

Top domes&c professional league players

Players who have played for a professional National Basketball League Regulations Page 80 of 128 Further information This information is available on the Basketball England website.

For any queries relating to the requirements or the endorsement process please contact:

Gail Richards Senior Delivery Manager Game

Telephone: 03006001170 Email: [email protected]

Information on visas and immigration is available on the GOV.UK website.

Dispute handling procedures

Where an application for either a player to play in a team or a coach to coach a team in one of the leagues covered by the requirements for a governing body endorsement as set out for Tier 2 (Sportsperson) & Tier 5 (Temporary Worker- Creative and Sporting) has been refused on the grounds that the player or coach fails to meet the published requirements, the sponsor may seek a review of the application. The sponsor will have 28 days to request such a review. In these cases, Basketball England will refer the sponsor’s evidence to an independent panel as set out below. Where possible the sponsor’s supporting evidence will be sent to the panel in advance for their consideration in order to allow an informed decision.

Sponsors should note that, in respect of any application, there will only be one panel available and the decision of the panel is final. Sponsors should therefore ensure that all evidence it wishes to present in support of its application is presented to the panel. If the sponsor has previously made an application that was unsuccessful at panel a further panel cannot be requested for the same player during the season unless his status changes and he meets the requirements whereby a new application can be submitted.

A. THE REVIEW

The request for a review may only be made by the sponsor for whom the governing body endorsement has been initially rejected by Basketball England. A review shall be commenced by the appellant lodging with Basketball England and Governance Director, a notice of appeal within 28 days of the decision appealed against. The notice of appeal shall:

i. set out details of the decision appealed against and, if the whole of the decision is not appealed against, identify that part of it which is appealed against; ii. set out in full the grounds of appeal and an appellant shall not be entitled to rely in any ground of appeal not set out in the notice of appeal; and iii. be accompanied by a deposit of £250. The panel shall have discretion as to whether the deposit is returned.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 81 of 128

The procedure for appeal will be in accordance with the Disciplinary Regulations and the Panel shall be comprised as detailed below.

B. THE PANEL

The panel will be appointed by the Basketball England’s Appeals Hearing Manager. The appointed panel shall consist of: an independent chairman, one representative of Basketball England (who has not been involved in the initial decision) and one representative of named further representatives. C. POWER OF THE PANEL

An endorsement request may be refused if the Player does not meet the relevant criteria set out in this document or fails to provide the mandatory documents. Basketball England notify a Player in writing of any endorsement request which is refused setting out the reasons for refusal.

A Player shall have 7 days from the date of the written refusal to submit an appeal in writing to Basketball England. A player may only appeal on the basis that Basketball England has not applied the endorsement criteria correctly.

Basketball England shall consider the appeal and any evidence submitted in support and shall, within 7 working days of the receipt of the appeal, notify the Player of its decision.

D. THE DECISION

The panel will make a decision using the above criteria which shall be final and binding. There are no other grounds of appeal.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 82 of 128 SECTION 3: PROCESS FOR APPLYING FOR AN ENDORSEMENT

How to apply for governing body endorsements for Tier 2 (Sportsperson) and Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting sponsor licence applications Clubs eligible for a Tier 2 (Sportsperson) sponsor licence governing body endorsement should use the application form in Annex A.

Clubs eligible for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting sponsor licence governing body endorsement should use the application form in Annex B.

All potential sponsors should note that the purpose of an endorsement for a prospective sponsor is to confirm to the Home Office officials processing sponsor applications that the application is from a bona fide sports club or equivalent that has a legitimate requirement to bring migrants to the UK as sportspeople. The Home Office has additional criteria for sponsors that must be met in order for a club to be granted a sponsor licence. It is not Basketball England who will grant a sponsor licence.

How to apply for governing body endorsements for Tier 2 (Sportsperson) and Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting migrant applications

Once a club has obtained its sponsor licence from the Home Office, the sponsor will be able to apply for Certificates of Sponsorship, which it will allocate to migrants coming here to work for it. Each migrant that a club wishes to employ needs to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship. However, before a club can assign a Certificate of Sponsorship to a sportsperson, they will also have to obtain an endorsement from Basketball England for all applications made for individual sportspeople and coaches.

Tier 2 (Sportsperson) clubs should use either:

Annex C: Tier 2 Migrant Governing Body Endorsement Application Form (Player) Annex D: Tier 2 Migrant Governing Body Endorsement Application Form (Coach)

Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting clubs should use either:

Annex E: Tier 5 Migrant Governing Body Endorsement Application Form (Player) Annex F: Tier 5 Migrant Governing Body Endorsement Application Form (Coach).

National Basketball League Regulations Page 83 of 128 ANNEX A: TIER 2 (SPORTSPERSON) SPONSOR LICENCE GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION

This form should be used to apply to Basketball England for a governing body endorsement of an application for a sponsor licence under the Tier 2 (Sportsperson) category of the Home Office points-based system.

Please complete all sections of the form below unless otherwise indicated:

Required start date of sponsor endorsement application:

Name of club:

Address:

Contact name and position:

Telephone number

Fax number

Email

Date of application

Signature

Supporting evidence required: None

Please send this form to: Basketball England NSC Gate 13 Eithad Campus Rowsley St Manchester M11 3FF The information on this form and any additional supporting document may be disclosed to the Home Office in the event that they investigate Basketball England and the processes and procedures used for governing body endorsements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 84 of 128 ANNEX B: TIER 5 (TEMPORARY WORKER) CREATIVE AND SPORTING SPONSOR LICENCE GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION

This form should be used to apply to Basketball England for a governing body endorsement of an application for a sponsor licence under the Tier 5 (Temporary worker) Creative and Sporting category of the Home Office points-based system.

Please complete all sections of the form below unless otherwise indicated:

Required start date of sponsor endorsement application:

Name of club:

Address:

Contact name and position:

Telephone number:

Fax number:

Email:

Date of application:

Signature

Supporting evidence required: None

Please send this form to: Basketball England NSC Gate 13 Eithad Campus Rowsley St Manchester M11 3FF

The information on this form and any additional supporting document may be disclosed to the Home Office in the event that they investigate Basketball England and the processes and procedures used for governing body endorsements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 85 of 128 ANNEX C: TIER 2 INDIVIDUAL MIGRANT GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION FORM - PLAYER ONLY

This form should be used to apply to Basketball England for a governing body endorsement of an application for a migrant under the Tier 2 (Sportsperson) category of the Home Office points-based system.

Please return this completed form to: Basketball England, Governing Body Endorsements, NSC. Gate 13. Etihad Campus. Rowsley St. Manchester. M11 3FF

Please complete all sections of the form below unless otherwise indicated: Full name of player

DoB

Nationality

Current address

Employment start date

Employment end date

Address migrant employed at

Job title

Salary (where appropriate)

Name of club

Sponsor endorsement ref

Contact name and position

Telephone number

Fax number

Email

Date of application

Signature

Supporting evidence and or additional documents required: • player statistics/profile • signed player contract The information on this form and any additional support document may be disclosed to the Home Office in the event that they investigate Basketball England and the processes and procedures used for governing body endorsements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 86 of 128 Please indicate which of the following criteria are met: (all that are applicable)

Returning players i. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to the team in the relevant league (BBL, WBBL or Division One Men) finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

First time players, including new players (previously played in the UK but outside of the 18 months) from USA & Canada and players coming to the UK who have graduated from the USA and Canada i. Did the player complete 4 years eligibility in the college system in one of the following?

NCAA I NCAA II NCAA NAIA CU - III USpo rt

Yes – (proceed to ii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. ii. Did the player complete his/her final year of college not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to iii)

No (proceed to iv) iii. Did the player play in at least 75% of games in each of their final two years of college?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. iv. Did the player play for a professional league side finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to v)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. v. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to him/her for that side?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 87 of 128 No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

First time players who did not attend US College: i. Did the player play for a professional league side finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to ii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. ii. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to him/her for that side?

Yes – (proceed to iii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. iii. Did the player play in at least 75% of his/her country’s available international games (including friendly fixtures) within the past two seasons?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements

First time players straight from a top domestic professional league - players could have attended NCAA or NAIA Colleges across all divisions but need to meet the following requirements for the team they play professional for) i. Did the player play for a professional league team that played in either of the following; Euro league, Euro Cup, NBA, NBA G-League or a Professional European League, finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to ii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. ii. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to him/her for that side?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 88 of 128 ANNEX D: TIER 2 (SPORTSPERSON) MIGRANT GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION FORM - HEAD COACH This form should be used to apply to Basketball England for a Governing Body Endorsement of an application for a migrant under the Tier 2 (Sportsperson) category of the Home Office points-based system.

Please return this completed form to:

Basketball England, Governing Body Endorsements NSC. Gate 13. Etihad Campus. Rowsley St. Manchester. M11 3FF

Please complete all sections of the form below unless otherwise indicated: Full name of Head Coach

DoB

Nationality

Current address

Employment start date

Employment end date

Address migrant employed at

Job title

Salary (where appropriate)

Name of club

Sponsor endorsement ref

Contact name and position

Telephone number

Fax number

Email

Date of application

Signature

Supporting evidence and or additional documents required: • coach profile • evidence of coaching qualification and/or a coaching licence if issued by another federation. • signed contract

National Basketball League Regulations Page 89 of 128 The information on this form and any additional support document may be disclosed to the Home Office in the event that they investigate Basketball England and the processes and procedures used for governing body endorsements.

Please indicate which of the following criteria are met: (all that are applicable)

Returning coach

Where clubs are applying for renewal of a governing body endorsement, the coach must have achieved an BE Level 3 Coaching Award. Clubs do not need to supply details of a recruitment search for coaches returning to the United Kingdom.

Yes – this meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

First time coaches

Coaches should hold the Basketball England (BE) Level 3 Coaching Award or its equivalent. If a club applies to employ a coach who does not hold the BE Level 3 Coaching Award or its equivalent but satisfies all other aspects of the criteria, a governing body endorsement may be issued on condition that once they enter the United Kingdom they will normally achieve the BE Level 3 Coaching Award within the first playing season

Yes – this meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

Clubs should provide evidence of the coach’s previous coaching experience. A coach must have been in either a Head Coach or an Assistant Coach position in the last two seasons, for a senior professional team, competing in a professional league, recognised by FIBA or in the US College System, in NCAA1, NCAA2 or NAIA.

1. Evidence to show a recruitment search has been undertaken and should be provided. This must include a copy of an advertisement and must have been advertised in the UK and on the Basketball England website, details of all responses must be included. - see the sponsor for more information.

Yes – this meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 90 of 128 ANNEX E: TIER 5 (TEMPORARY WORKER) CREATIVE AND SPORTING MIGRANT GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION FORM – PLAYER ONLY

This form should be used to apply to Basketball England for a governing body endorsement of an application for a migrant under the Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting category of the Home Office points-based system.

Please return this completed form to:

Basketball England, Governing Body Endorsements NSC. Gate 13. Etihad Campus. Rowsley St. Manchester. M11 3FF

Please complete all sections of the form below unless otherwise indicated: Full name of player

DoB

Nationality

Current address

Employment start date

Employment end date

Address migrant employed at

Job title

Salary (where appropriate)

Name of club

Sponsor endorsement ref

Contact name and position

Telephone number

Fax number

Email

Date of application

Signature

Supporting evidence and or additional documents required: • player statistics/profile • signed player contract

The information on this form and any additional support document may be disclosed to the Home Office in the event that they investigate Basketball England and the processes and procedures used for governing body endorsements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 91 of 128 Please indicate which of the following criteria are met: (all that are applicable)

Returning players ii. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to the team in the relevant UK domestic league (BBL, WBBL or Division One Men) finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

First time players, including new players (previously played in the UK but outside of the 18 months) from USA & Canada and players coming to the UK who have graduated from the USA and Canada i. Did the player complete 4 years eligibility in the college system in one of the following?

NCAA I NCAA II NCAA NAIA CU - III USpo rt

Yes – (proceed to ii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. ii. Did the player complete his/her final year of college not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to iii)

No – (proceed to iv) iii. Did the player play in at least 75% of games in each of their final two years of college?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. iv. Did the player play for a professional league side finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to v)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. v. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to him/her for that side?

National Basketball League Regulations Page 92 of 128 Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

First time players who did not attend US College i. Did the player play for a professional league side finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to ii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. ii. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to him/her for that side?

Yes – (proceed to iii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. iii. Did the player play in at least 75% of his/her country’s available international games

(including friendly fixtures) within the past two seasons? Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements

First time players straight from a top domestic professional league - players could have attended NCAA or NAIA Colleges across all divisions but need to meet the following requirements for the team they played professional for i. Did the player play for a professional league team that played in either of the following; Euro league, Euro Cup, NBA, NBA G-League, or a Professional European League, finishing not more than 18 months ago?

Yes – (proceed to ii)

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements. ii. Did the player play in at least 75% of games available to him/her for that side?

Yes – this therefore meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this therefore does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 93 of 128 ANNEX F: TIER 5 (TEMPORARY WORKER) CREATIVE AND SPORTING

MIGRANT GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION FORM – HEAD COACH ONLY

This form should be used to apply to Basketball England for a governing body endorsement of an application for a migrant under the Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting category of the Home Office points-based system.

Please return this completed form to:

Basketball England, Governing Body Endorsements NSC. Gate 13. Etihad Campus. Rowsley St. Manchester. M11 3FF

Please complete all sections of the form below unless otherwise indicated: Full Name of Head Coach

DoB

Nationality

Current address

Employment start date

Employment end date

Address migrant employed at

Job title

Salary (where appropriate)

Name of club

Sponsor endorsement ref

Contact name and position

Telephone number

Fax number

Email

Date of application

Signature Supporting evidence and or additional documents required • coach profile • evidence of coaching qualification and/or a coaching licence if issued by another federation. • signed contract The information on this form and any additional support document may be disclosed to the Home Office in the event that they investigate Basketball England and the processes and procedures used for governing body endorsements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 94 of 128 Please indicate which of the following criteria are met: (all that are applicable)

Returning coach

Where clubs are applying for renewal of a governing body endorsement, the coach must have achieved an BE Level 3 Coaching Award. Clubs do not need to supply details of a recruitment search for coaches returning to the UK.

Yes – this meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

First time coaches

Coaches should hold the Basketball England (BE) Level 3 Coaching Award or its equivalent. If a club applies to employ a coach who does not hold the BE Level 3 Coaching Award or its equivalent but satisfies all other aspects of the criteria, a governing body endorsement may be issued on condition that once they enter the United Kingdom they will normally achieve the BE Level 3 Coaching Award within the first playing season

Yes – this meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

Clubs should provide evidence of the coach’s previous coaching experience. A coach must have been in either a Head Coach or an Assistant Coach position in the last two seasons, for a senior professional team, competing in a professional league, recognised by FIBA or in the US College System, in NCAA1, NCAA2 or NAIA 1. Evidence to show a recruitment search has been undertaken and should be provided. This must include a copy of an advertisement and must have been advertised in the UK and on the Basketball England website, details of all responses must be included - see the sponsor for more information.

Yes – this meets the governing body endorsement requirements.

No – this does not meet the governing body endorsement requirements.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 95 of 128 APPENDIX 7 – ALL MUST PLAY -SINGLE FIXTURES ONLY

The All Must Play rule is to create a more competitive playing environment and is to encourage all players to participate during a Jnr. NBL fixture across the age groups below, where a single fixture takes place.

Aimed at:

• Under 12 (Single fixtures only)

• Under 14 Conference Age Group (male and female)

• Under 14 Regional Age Group (male and female), single fixtures

• Under 16 Regional Competitions.

The rules are:

• Games will consist of 4 quarters of 10 minutes, with the first and third quarters split into 4 periods of 5 Minutes.

• For teams of 10 players, the coach can choose how they wish to rotate their players, all players must play in one five-minute period of both quarters one and three.

• For teams of 11 and 12, the coach can choose when they rotate the 11th and 12th player at their own discretion, however the coach does not need to play these players at all.

• For teams of nine or less, a rotational schedule (appendix 9) will be in place to rotate players in quarters one and three. Coaches will need to number their players and list this along with their playing number, name and licence number at the start of the game and given to the table officials. Please be aware that any teams playing with less than 8 players can occur a fine in line with regulation 31.1.

• All games will be home and away format.

• Games will be stopping clock.

• Normal timeouts will be administered however there will be no stoppages for switching players with halftime 10 minutes maximum.

• If a player is injured or fouled out and the team has less than 10 players, the coach of said team shall decide on who fills this place, ensuring that the minutes are shared equally across the team.

In addition;

1. If a player has a pre-existing medical condition which may affect their ability to participate in accordance with the game rules, with the child and parent’s permission, officials should be informed at the pre-game meeting but officials don’t need to know what the condition is. Reasonable adjustments can be made to enable the player to participate.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 96 of 128 2. Both Coaches and Officials have a duty of care to ensure the safety of players. If a coach has any health or wellbeing concerns about a player during the game, they should inform an official. If a player is taken off the court, this does not necessarily mean that they cannot play for the duration of the game. Again, reasonable adjustments can be made.

3. When it comes to welfare and injuries, the head coach has ultimate responsibility in deciding what is best for the player at that specific moment. A player leaving the game can recover and re-enter the game later. If officials are in doubt over the decision of the coach, they should allow it to happen, but email [email protected] to raise their concerns

• Man to man defence is only permitted throughout the games, zone defence and combination defence’s are not permitted including zone presses.

• When a game reaches a 20-point deficit the team that are in the lead by this amount, must not play full court man to man defence, it must play half court man to man defence only.

• Games will be 5 v 5 and play on full size basketball courts in line with the National League Playing Rules and ring size 10ft.

• Ball sizes: Under 12 Mixed/Girls (single fixtures), Under 14 Girls – Size 5 Wilson Reaction Pro Ball, Under 14 Boys - Size 6 Wilson Reaction Pro Ball. Under 16 Boys -Size 7 Wilson Evolution Ball

• All other FIBA rules apply

National Basketball League Regulations Page 97 of 128 APPENDIX 8 – ALL MUST PLAY TRIANGULAR TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The All Must Play Triangular Tournament rule is to create a more competitive playing environment, where teams come together to play once or twice a month rather than weekly competition. The rules and format are to encourage all players to participate during a Jnr. NBL fixture whilst trying to limit travel, where players can play at the correct level to them:

Aimed at:

• Under 12 Age Group

• Under 14 Regional Age Group

The rules are:

• Games will consist of 4 quarters of 6 minutes. The first and third quarters will be split into 4 periods of 3 Minutes.

• For teams of 10 players, the coach can choose how they wish to rotate their players, all players must play in one 3-minute period of both quarters one and three.

• For teams of 11 and 12, the coach can choose when they rotate the 11th and 12th player at their own discretion, however the coach does not need to play these players at all.

• For teams of nine or less, a rotational schedule (Appendix 9) will be in place to rotate players in quarters one and three. Coaches need to number their players and list this along with their playing number, name and licence number are required at the start of the game and given to the table officials. Please be aware any teams playing with less than 8 players can occur a fine in line with regulation 31.1.

• Three timeouts are permitted throughout the game and no stoppages for switching players.

• There will be a 30 second break between quarters one and two and quarter three and four, maximum of 5 minutes for halftime.

• Minimum 10 minute warm up must be provided prior to each game taking place.

• The format for the competition is triangular tournaments where each team will host one (possibly two) triangular events, where three teams within the league will play games against each other. The home team, is responsible for all court hire and officials’ fees, games should take up to one hour to play, the format looks like the following:

Game 1: Home team v Away Team A Game 2: Away Team A v Away Team B Game 3: Home Team v Away Team B

Please note in some cases some teams may host more than three teams or less, this is dependent upon the size of the league. In some cases, a single fixture can

National Basketball League Regulations Page 98 of 128 be played should a team postpone or forfeit the fixtures at the tournament, this fixture should follow the Appendix 7 - all must play rule instead of these rules.

• If a player is injured or a player is fouled out and the team has less than 10 players, the coach of said team shall decide on who fills this place, ensuring that the minutes are shared equally amongst the team.

In addition;

1. If a player has a pre-existing medical condition which may affect their ability to participate in accordance with the game rules, with the child and parent’s permission, officials should be informed at the pre-game meeting but officials don’t need to know what the condition is. Reasonable adjustments can be made to enable the player to participate.

2. Both Coaches and Officials have a duty of care to ensure the safety of players. If a coach has any health or wellbeing concerns about a player during the game, they should inform an official. If a player is taken off the court, this does not necessarily mean that they cannot play for the duration of the game. Again, reasonable adjustments can be made.

3. When it comes to welfare and injuries, the head coach has ultimate responsibility in deciding what is best for the player at that specific moment. A player leaving the game can recover and re-enter the game later. If officials are in doubt over the decision of the coach, they should allow it to happen, but email [email protected] to raise their concerns

• Man to man defence is only permitted throughout the games, zone defence and combination defences are not permitted including zone presses.

• When a game reaches a 20-point deficit the team that are in the lead by this amount, it cannot play full court man to man defence, it must play half court man to man defence only.

• Ball Size: Under 12 age group, Size 5 Wilson Reaction Pro basketball. Under 14 Regional League Size 6 Wilson Reaction Pro Ball for boys and Size 5 Wilson Reaction Pro Ball for girls.

• In the mixed league single male gender teams are permitted as well as mixed gender teams. In the female league all teams must be female teams only.

• Games will be 5 v 5 and play on full size basketball courts in line with the National League Playing Rules and ring size 10ft.

All other FIBA rules apply.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 99 of 128 APPENDIX 9 – ROTATIONAL SCHEDULE – NINE OR LESS PLAYERS IN A TEAM

Under 12 & Under 14/Under 16 (Regional) Age Groups Regional Level - Triangular Tournaments 1. Teams of 10 or more can select which players they play in each period of the 1st and 3rd quarters but no players can play in both periods of the 1st and 3rd quarter. 2. It is entirely up to the coach if they want to play players 11 and 12 at all in any part of the game. 3. Please note that teams who play a fixture with less than 8 players will be liable to a fine in line with regulations 31.1 and 49.16

Team 6 Players Team 7 Players

1st half 2nd half 1st half 2nd half

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt

1 X x x 3 1 x x x 3

2 X x x 3 2 x x x 3

3 X x x x 4 3 x x x 3

4 X x x x 4 4 x x x 3

5 X x x 3 5 x x x 3

6 x x x 3 6 x x 2

5 5 5 5 7 x x x 3

5 5 5 5

Team 8 Players Team 9 Players

1st half 2nd half 1st half 2nd half

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt Qrt

1 X x x 3 1 x x x 3

2 X x x 3 2 x x 2

3 X x 2 3 x x x 3

4 X x 2 4 x x 2

5 X x x 3 5 x x 2

6 x x x 3 6 x x 2

7 x x 2 7 x x 2

8 x x 2 8 x x 2

5 5 5 5 9 x x 2

5 5 5 5

National Basketball League Regulations Page 100 of 128 APPENDIX 10 – PLAYER EXEMPTION POLICY

This policy has been created to allow for a panel of experts to have the ability to authorise individuals to play in competitions which as per our regulations are not accessible to them. This includes talented players that require a higher level of competition or allowing female players to play in male assigned competitions if a team/opportunity isn’t available to them within a reasonable distance.

The panel would be comprised of experts across the game with an independent chair. Any Player Exemption received will be reviewed and processed on a case by case scenario and the outcomes of this will not be publicised, but the club and parent will be made aware of any decisions made.

Note: Long Term Athletic Development models have been developed in most top sporting nations and alongside this is usually an intervention for a talent exemption rule which allows for the difference in development age and stage of talented players.

Decisions will be predicated on four factors:

1) Anthropometric 2) Personal/Sociological 3) PCDE's (Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence) 4) Environmental - training provision, coaching, family etc. The benefits of this approach include:

1. Aligns completely with Basketball England’s Player Development Framework 2. Tracks and supports players appropriately 3. Follows and aligns with other world class player development interventions 4. Is pragmatic in finding solutions to player advancements in the sport 5. Gets more exposure to our players 6. Builds the confidence of our players The player/parent making the application to be exempt for the rules must meet the following policy criteria and evidence all areas listed below:

1) Assessment policy criteria: a) British Eligible b) Psychometric assessment c) Biometric Assessment d) Education Impact assessment e) Safeguarding manager sign -off f) How safeguarding (e.g. showers, transport) is managed by the club. 2) Creation of a Club / Player / Guardian agreement – signed by all parties.

3) All requests must be submitted to [email protected] and will be concluded within 28 working days of receipt:

a) All requests must meet and work within the timescales listed in the NBL Rules and regulations, in terms of the registration of players. b) There will be no appeals process as the final decision is made by the panel assessing the case. c) Publishing requests – We will release data on the number of applications made and the number of approved and declined requests.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 101 of 128 APPENDIX 11 – PANDEMIC POLICY 2021/22

The purpose of this document is to outline the process that will be undertaken should further changes be required to the 2021/22 season given that many members under 18 years of age may not be vaccinated against COVID-19.

It is important that all members are aware of Basketball England’s Return to Play Guidance and adhere to it at all times. This will limit the potential for COVID-19 issues throughout 2021/22.

The changes are rules and regulation based and all league and competition entry fees are to be paid as normal at the time of entry. Should the season be curtailed in line with regulation 23.9.6 or there be a delayed start, then information on membership and licensing will then be communicated. Affiliation must remain in place for a club to operate as a basketball club.

Rules and regulation-based adjustments for 2021/22

The main consideration for change is the lead times to confirm fixtures with BE and league/cup opponents and what happens if there is a case of COVID-19 within a playing squad or a club member has been exposed to the virus. In this case the government advice on this has to be followed.

The following amendments to the rules and regulations on this area are as follows below:

COVID-19 case: Should a game be postponed due to a case of COVID-19 within a team and where the team have been exposed to the individual and there is a need to postpone the game, both clubs should ensure they re-arrange the fixture in line with the re- arranging a fixture protocol and a new date should be confirmed within 14 days of the current one being scheduled. All games are expected to be fulfilled by the end of the season, with the option of playing the game midweek where possible. If the fixture cannot be scheduled before the end of the season, the game will be void and the score line will be 0-0 and with no fine applied to this.

Confirming fixtures

The usual 31 August deadline to confirm fixtures to BE/opposing teams without a fixture change fee being applied, will remain and may be adjusted by Basketball England to support clubs if they still have issues accessing facilities, this will be communicated closer to the date.

23 Re-Arrangement, Postponement, Abandonment and Replaying of Matches

23.1 Basketball England will prepare a fixture list prior to the start of the Season. In exceptional circumstances, Basketball England may require a Match to be rearranged.

23.4 No changes are permitted in respect of any fixture list relating to a Competition, save that:

23.4.1 Prior to whenever two Clubs reach agreement regarding the rearrangement of a Match (including a change in date, venue or tip time), they may jointly make an application in writing to Basketball England using the Fixture Change Form (available to download from, or provided upon request by, Basketball England) for the matter to be considered; and

National Basketball League Regulations Page 102 of 128 23.4.2 After 31 August, the request to change any Match from its published date will not be considered by Basketball England for Senior Competitions and Jnr.NBL/WNBL Premier Competitions across all age groups unless the reason to change of the date is due to venue unavailability or the team has a COVID-19 case. Documentation is required by the facility operator in advance of the game and must be submitted or information provided by the club in question with the relevant documents completed to report a positive case. The change of tip time is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, it must be changed and confirmed up to 28 days in advance of the fixture and teams must be aware that by doing so, there is no guarantee officials may be appointed it must also be authorised by Basketball England.

23.4.3 For all Jnr.NBL/WNBL Conference and Regional into Under-12 competitions a request to change any match date, tip time and venue after the 31 August will be considered by Basketball England. The Club responsible for the change shall be liable to pay an administrative charge of £15.00 is if a new date, tip time and venue is agreed upon within 7 days of the original fixture postponed on or after the 8th day the charge will rise to £35.00 All changes after 31 August be approved by the opponent of the team making the request. The maximum a team can request a postponed fixture is twice per team for the regular playing season.

24.3 Where a Club is responsible for the postponement of a scheduled Match (within 72 hours of the tip off) or does not fulfil a fixture, without the consent of its opponents, the Competitions Review Panel may issue a fine no greater than the maximum amount set out above. In addition, the Match in question will be awarded to the non-offending Team 20-0 and such number of league points as the Competitions Review panel shall determine (in its sole discretion) may be deducted. Compensation may be sought from non-offending team, for any charges that may be incurred due to the late cancellation of the game in line with this regulation, maximum amount that can be claimed is up to £75.00 for a Senior Fixture and £50.00 for a Junior Fixture, only facility hire, travel expenses and officials’ costs incurred in line with regulation 23.5 and 40.8 can be taken into consideration and evidence of the cost associated must be proved. The amount awarded is at the discretion of Basketball England and the compensation will be deducted from the fine issued by Basketball England and will only be compensated once the fine has been paid in full by the offending team. Any compensation claim must include evidence of costs and must be submitted within 7 days of the date of the scheduled Match.

Please note that regulation 23 will not be enforced should the reason be deemed due to an individual testing positive for COVID-19 and the team have been exposed to the individual, meaning the team has to self-isolate in line with Government advice.

Teams should ensure they make their opponents aware at the earliest opportunity and ensure all officials are also made aware.

Refreshments

The following rules will not be applied for the 2021/22 season for teams within the following leagues, or cup competitions/playoffs, meaning no after game refreshments are required and therefore fines will be redundant for this. This may also include finals events, where it may not be safe to provide after game match refreshments to teams but will be confirmed in advance of an event taking place:

National Basketball League Regulations Page 103 of 128 21.6 The Home Club shall provide suitable refreshments for the Away Team and the Match Officials at the following Matches, failure to do so will result in an automatic fine: • Division One Men • Division One Women • All Senior Cup and Playoff games from Quarter Final onwards • All Age-Group Cup and Playoff games from Quarter Final onwards

National League Standards

The following standards will be updated for the 2021/22 season:

Match Programme - to be supplied for each home game commensurate with its status. This must include all relevant sponsors’ adverts as provided by Basketball England. Each programme must carry any and all adverts for Basketball England sponsors as required.

This will not be applied for the 2021/22 season as physical handouts, these can be done in digital form and emailed to opposing teams to pass to any spectators. This affects as a mandatory requirement for Division One Men and Women, Division Two Men and Division Three

National Basketball League Regulations Page 104 of 128 APPENDIX 12: LIVE STREAMING POLICY LIVE STREAMING GUIDANCE

(EVENTS, CLUBS AND TEAMS)

Updated April 2021

CONTENTS

OVERVIEW AND PRINCIPLE USING LIVE STREAMING Consents Before the Event During the Event After the Event

SAFEGUARDING AND LIVE STREAMING

Good Safeguarding Practice Poor Safeguarding Practice Apps and Software

LIVE STREAMING GAME DAY SET UP Factors to Consider When Live Streaming Match Day Set Up Game Announcer Notes

FURTHER GUIDANCE AND LINK

National Basketball League Regulations Page 105 of 128 OVERVIEW AND PRINCIPLES

Technology is fast moving with new ideas, websites and apps being developed on a regular basis. Live streaming has become increasingly prevalent due to the ease it brings in showcasing games and events.

Live streaming is a live visual broadcast over the internet. All you need to be able to live stream is an internet enabled device, such as a smart phone or tablet, and a platform (such as website or app) to broadcast on. At the click of a button, you can broadcast anything you are doing across the world without delay or edit.

With the popularity of live streaming ever increasing and with children, young people and adults at risk taking part, it is important to remember that live streaming can be both unpredictable and hard to moderate which is understandably worrying for parents and carers. It is important to ensure that all of those involved within a live stream understand what risks children, young people and adults at risk may face, and take the practical steps to make an individual’s basketball, and online, experience safer.

Basketball England has some basic principles when it comes to photography, videos, and images:

• The interests and the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk taking part in basketball are paramount;

• Parents/guardians and children/adults at risk should consent for images to be taken and used;

• Parents/guardians and children/adults at risk have a right to decide if their images are to be taken, and how those images may be used;

• Consent only lasts for one year and is not indefinite;

• Excessive personal information accompanying images could place and child or adult at risk in jeopardy.

• Images should never be taken in changing rooms;

• Images should only be taken by authorised persons,

• All images should be securely stored;

• In the case of images used on websites, care must be taken to ensure that no identifying details facilitate contact with a children/adults at risk by a potential abuser.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 106 of 128 By adopting the points highlighted in these guidelines, you will be putting into place the best possible practice to protect children, young people, and adults at risk.

Basketball England has developed this guidance, with the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) to ensure that when live streaming is used, best practice, good guidance, and some simple steps to safeguard all of those involved are taken to keep the basketball environment as safe as it can be.

This guidance has been developed in-line with Basketball England’s Photography and Video Guidance and aims to help build upon it. This guidance does not supersede the photography and video guidance or make it redundant.

USING LIVE STREAMING

The following information and steps must be considered before live streaming a game or event that involve children, young people and adults at risk.

CONSENTS

Before any live streaming is undertaken, consent must be obtained from the parent/carer of the child, and the child or vulnerable adult.

Consent must be sought from all individuals that will be involved. Without consent from one individual in the group, the live stream must not go ahead. Whereas you may be able to manage photography, when it comes to one individual declining consent, a live stream cannot be edited or filterer to avoid an individual and therefore it cannot go ahead.

You must never assume someone has given consent if you cannot evidence that consent if questioned.

When the individual and parent/carer is giving consent, you must have the following answers available;

• Where the live streaming will take place (Facebook, YouTube etc).

• Will the stream be set up in any way, such as restricting 3rd party embedding

• What page/profile it will be streamed onto (if applicable).

• How the game will be advertised on the stream (teams, venue, names)

• Who the stream will be monitored by and for what purpose

• When the live stream will go live and when it will end

• Once the stream has finished, where the footage may be published and/or stored

• Where the consent forms will be stored

National Basketball League Regulations Page 107 of 128 • How any individual can withdraw their consent if they wish to do so.

Consent must be granular and clear so that everyone is clear on how it will operate, this is extremely important when it comes to adults at risk and participants who may have additional needs. The consent must not be long winded and confusing so that an individual is consenting to something they don’t understand.

Basketball England has developed a basic live streaming consent for clubs for single-use, to edit and use if required. It can be downloaded here:

DOWNLOAD LIVESTREAM FORM (SINGLE CLUB)

If you wish to seek consent from parents for a season, there is a consent form here which you can edit to cover multiple games. Before using this consent form, it is important that you conduct your own checks on the opposition teams to ensure you are satisfied that the stream will be safely managed.

DOWNLOAD LIVESTREAM FORM (MULTIPLE CLUBS)

BEFORE THE EVENT

Before the event, some basic steps and measures should be taken to ensure the live stream can run smoothly:

• Get consent

As highlighted above, consent must be obtained from each individual participant before live streaming can go ahead. Without any consent you must not live stream any event.

• Choose the platform that you will be streaming from

You will need pick a live streaming platform that you wish your event or game to be streamed through. You will then need to familiarise yourself with the platform to understand how it works, how it is set up and what security/privacy settings can be place on the stream. Different platforms can provide different and varying services, some for free but some come at a cost, so you should do your research across the board to ensure you find the right fit for your needs.

• Identify who will be leading on the live stream

You need to think about which individual will be leading on organising the live stream. This person should have a basic understanding of how the live stream is set up and works and be able to answer any questions that

National Basketball League Regulations Page 108 of 128 anyone may have around this. They must also be familiar with the platform being used and how it should be managed. They must be familiar with your responsibilities in terms of data protection.

• Camera & equipment

There are many different cameras and equipment available to be able to set up a live stream. As it varies widely in terms of set ups, connections and quality of the live stream, you will need to consider these points:

The type of camera – what kind of quality live stream do you want to achieve?

The connections required between the camera, laptop/computer/device, and the live streaming platform – does the camera connect with your laptop or device?

The live streaming platform requirements - does it require a certain connection or camera?

Any additional equipment, such as tripods?

Considering the above will help aid you in finding the right equipment before the event and help ensure that the running of the live stream is not hindered.

• Wi-Fi / Internet Connection

Probably the most obvious necessity, is a solid, reliable Internet connection. Any distance or surfaces between the transmitter and receiver will degrade the signal strength, and thus the connection speed.

If it's at all possible you should use a wired connection. A wired connection will be faster than a wireless connection, won't be affected by radio interference and your connection speed will remain constant.

Venues may have varying internet connections, so you will need to get access to the one that suits you. It may be worth speaking to the venue about live streaming beforehand as they may have experience and be able to advise you of the limitations in the building.

Some venues may require you to pay extra to upgrade to a better internet connection, so you may need to consider this.

• Location of the camera

National Basketball League Regulations Page 109 of 128 Before the event, you will need to look at where the right amount of space means that it shouldn’t be encroaching on the court, blocking fire exits or using up unnecessary amounts of space that could be used more effectively for other needs.

Thinking about the cables and wiring that may be used to run the stream should also assist in ensuring the spectators & participants safety isn’t compromised.

The live stream needs to be considered within your event risk assessment and event welfare plan. See also Section 4 – Live Streaming Game Day Set Up.

• Making the spectators aware

Putting up some posters around the venue to make the spectators aware that live streaming is going on is extremely good practice. It doesn’t have to be detailed, but the poster will need to identify the live streaming, where the camera is located and if they have any concerns, who to speak with.

You should consider an area for spectators who don’t wish to be on the live stream.

You will need to look at having an area in the venue where you can place spectators who don’t wish to be on the live stream. It could be something as basic as having their backs to the camera or sitting them in line with the camera, it really depends on the venue that you are in. Again, this should be referred to in your risk assessment and event welfare plan.

• Run a demonstration beforehand

It may be worth setting everything up and ensure it works before the big day. This will help avoid any hiccups during the event, help you get used to the stream and iron out any irregularities.

DURING THE EVENT

• The live stream will need to be monitored throughout its whole duration

You will need to have someone monitor the live stream throughout so that any incidents or inappropriate behaviour can be logged and reported. It also means that the live stream can be stopped immediately if needs be if the welfare of any child, young person or vulnerable adult is put at risk.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 110 of 128 You can also monitor comments, use of the stream and see if any use falls outside of the code of ethics and conduct. If it does, it enables you to take swift action to block and/or ban any individual who uses it inappropriately.

• Don’t stream longer than needed

You should only stream for the event and not stream for longer than required. There is no need to stream 30/40 minutes before the event, you should look to set the stream going 5 minutes before the event.

This helps prevent individuals sharing the stream too far ahead of the event to people who may seek to do harm, or share on different areas of the internet. A lot of this should be covered by how the steam is set up on the platform as some prevent streams from being distributed or embedded.

• Be prepared to take the live stream down

Being prepared to take the stream down at any minute is vital.

If you recognise that the stream is being used inappropriately and you feel the welfare of the individuals involved is at risk, you must pull the stream immediately.

• Focus on the game itself and not the individuals

The footage should be of the overall game itself and not be singling out individuals throughout the whole game. Keeping the stream as general as possible helps in protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from over-wanted attention and can lead to them being easily identified by individuals who may wish to harm them or identify them outside of the event.

AFTER THE EVENT

Just because the event has finished, and the stream has ended doesn’t mean there isn’t anything left to do with it.

• Ensure the stream has ended

Always double check that once you have ended the stream, that it has ended. Depending on the device and streaming service used you may think it has ended and decide to walk off into an unsuitable area for photography use so it is always best practice to double check.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 111 of 128 • Remove / Send / Download / Post the live stream

Depending on what you indicated on your live stream consent form, you may have some steps to take in terms of handling the live stream now it’s out there on your platform:

Remove – You may wish to remove the live stream totally and keep the footage private after it has ended

Send – You may want to look at sending the video out to the individuals that were involved within the live stream (such as the players and coaches – ensure you have permission to do this).

Download – You may want to download the video and keep the video footage on file for future use.

Post – You may want to post the video on more platforms than it was streamed on (e.g. a club’s YouTube channel)

What you do with the stream should sit within the consent form and you should not be using the video for anything other than the stated terms on the consent form. If you use the video outside of the terms set in the consent form this will be in breach of Basketball England’s Photography and Video policy and any breaches can and will be investigated by Basketball England.

• Take statistics from the live stream

Depending on your live streaming platform you may be able to take some statistics from the live stream such as:

- Overall number of viewers

- How long the viewers watched for

- Location of the viewers

- Gender and age of the viewers

- Any noticeable trends and reactions to the stream

Taking these stats can provide you with some great insight into the stream and may assist you in improving your live streaming in the future.

SAFEGUARDING & LIVE STREAMING

Clubs and teams benefit from using images of young participants to promote and celebrate activities, events, and competitions.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 112 of 128 However, the use of photos and videos on websites and social media and in posters, the press, or other publications, can pose direct and indirect risks to children and young people if not managed correctly.

Therefore, when it comes to live streaming, some additional advice and guidance should be considered to safeguard and protect children, young people and adults at risk.

GOOD SAFEGUARDING PRACTICE

• Display live streaming poster

Creating a poster and displaying this around the event is a good way of making all individuals aware of what is going on inside of your event. It allows people to be able to position themselves in a place that suits them, and it makes sure people aren’t being broadcast without their knowledge.

You have a duty of care to safeguard the individuals who are on the court but also, that duty of care extends to those who are in attendance in another capacity such as young officials and volunteers.

• Create behaviour guidelines for during live streaming

All those involved in the game should be reminded of the Code of Ethics and Conduct to ensure appropriate behaviour throughout. This could be addressed before the event by sending out the Code of Conduct to the teams or through a pre-match meeting. Participants should be reminded that any Code of Conduct breaches in-person or online will be reported to Basketball England.

The spectator code of conduct should also be considered and advertised throughout the venue. Basketball England’s code of conduct can be found on our website below:

DOWNLOAD BASKETBALL ENGLAND’S CODE OF ETHICS & CONDUCT

• Focus on the team

With the same principles of photography and video, the stream needs to be focusing on the whole team and not just specific individuals. Focusing on specific individuals for long periods of time could lead to identification and potential unwanted contact from inappropriate individuals who may wish to harm children, young people and adults at risk.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 113 of 128 • Always in the venue

The stream must be kept within the venue and focused on the game.

By allowing the stream to ‘wander’ and be used within other areas of a facility e.g. the changing rooms, may encourage inappropriate use.

It is best practice to keep the stream focused on the court solely to promote the game.

• Identify who is responsible for the stream for any concerns

Identifying an individual who is responsible for the stream and informing everyone of this provides a point of contact if any concerns, enquiries, or questions arise. This allows for quick fixes or action to be taken if there is any poor practice being observed or breach of policy when the live stream is underway.

POOR SAFEGUARDING PRACTICE

With any form of photography, video and use of images there is always an inherent risk when children, young people or adults at risk are involved. Being aware of poor practice when it comes to photography, images, video and live streaming will aid you in being able to spot inappropriate behaviour.

• Focusing on individuals

Focusing on specific individuals for long periods of time and in particular, including a child’s personal information alongside their image can lead to them becoming vulnerable to individuals looking to locate, contact or 'groom' children for abuse.

Therefore, focussing on the team is paramount to safe live streaming.

• Never live stream in private

Live streaming should always take place in a public area. It shouldn’t be confined to any private areas within a facility such as a meeting room or the changing rooms. Even with the best intentions, this can lead to allegations of a safeguarding nature and warrant investigation by Basketball England.

Keeping the stream set on the game and in the main venue allows for transparency and adherence to best practice when it comes to photography, video and images of children, young people, or adults at risk.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 114 of 128 • Too much information on advertising the live stream

Other details identifying the sports organisation, school, or club, can be used to groom a child, young person, or adult at risk. Advertising alongside the live stream the venue name, team names, individuals’ names involved in the game can potentially lead to individuals being identified which can be an issue for children at risk.

• Leaving the stream unattended or not monitored

Leaving the stream unattended or not monitored allows for standards to drop, inappropriate behaviour to creep into the live stream and potential unsuitable use of the live stream. Having it monitored, ensures that standards of practice around the live stream are kept high, the use of the stream is used for its intended purpose and if there is any inappropriate behaviour or misuse occurring it can be addressed swiftly.

APPS AND SOFTWARE

There are a wide range of apps and software that are available to use for live streaming and each has its pro’s and con’s. Below are some advantages and disadvantages around some of the more popular apps and software.

This is not an exhaustive list, or an endorsement of the apps/software detailed below. Each club, team or person who is looking at including live streaming should research each app and/or software that they wish to use and do their own due diligence when selecting their preferred choice.

FACEBOOK

Facebook Live is the live streaming feature attached to Facebook. Users can film and upload videos in real time. If a user’s Facebook profile is public, any other user can search for their live video and view it by searching for key words within the title or location tags. If their profile is private, only their friends will be able to view their live video. Live videos can last as long as 4 hours and remain on Facebook until the user deletes them.

As with images, users can mark their location and tag friends in their live video. When watching a live video, viewers can leave live comments whilst the video is playing. This creates a comments thread underneath the playing video and will remain there when the video has ended. Users can also choose to ‘like’ or react to a video using a range of symbols/emojis. These are seen by the user as they are filming.

Live streaming means that anyone streaming is not able to edit/review their video content before it is uploaded. Live streaming can be both unpredictable and hard to moderate

National Basketball League Regulations Page 115 of 128 which is understandably worrying for parents and carers. In some instances, it can lead to accidently sharing more information than they intended. Before going live, give your Facebook account a privacy check by tapping Privacy Shortcuts, then Privacy Check-up in the help and settings menu.

Facebook enables users to report inappropriate content also.

YOUTUBE

YouTube is a video sharing website and app that allows users to share, view and upload videos via mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop computer. YouTube has a specific area of the site that allows viewers to watch, create and upload live videos.

Live videos are created in real time and can be instantaneously streamed on YouTube without editing. Viewers can choose to watch live videos by clicking on the ‘Live tab’. Various media outlets such as Sky and BBC have Live channels on YouTube.

Individual users with YouTube channels can also create live videos and share their own content. Content in Live videos is moderated in the same way as other YouTube videos. Users can flag inappropriate content using the ‘flag’ icon. When a video is flagged, YouTube staff review the content and decide whether the content violates YouTube Community Guidelines. YouTube may then decide to apply age-restrictions to the video or remove the video from YouTube.

YouTube has ‘community guidelines’ about what content should and shouldn’t be uploaded and states that any video content that breaks these guidelines will be removed or become age-restricted. These can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/howyoutubeworks/policies/community- guidelines/

If your club or team has their own YouTube channel, it is important to be aware of what you can post and who can view it. We would recommend you have a conversation as a club or team to understand what might or might not be suitable for you to share. Are you and your participants comfortable with the idea that a video could be seen by anyone all over the world? Does the video contain identifying features – school uniform, your house or local area – which might enable a viewer to trace your participants?

It can be difficult to keep ownership or control of a video once it has been posted on the internet. The video may be copied or reposted without your knowledge and it can then become difficult to remove every copy online. Similarly, to other social media platforms, YouTube has a private messaging function where users can send each other messages and videos.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 116 of 128 When a video is uploaded to YouTube, the automatic default is set to public so anyone on the YouTube site, even if they aren’t registered, could potentially view the video. This can easily be changed by adjusting the privacy settings on the account. The three different privacy settings are as follows: • Public - A default setting that allows any user on YouTube to view the video • Private - Allows you to restrict your video to be viewed by only yourself and other users that you select • Unlisted - Only people who have the link to the video can view it. The video will not show up on your channel page or come up in any YouTube search filter

To adjust these privacy settings:

For a computer: sign into the account and go to creator studio > video manager > video > edit > select privacy setting > save

For Android/iPhone: sign into the account and go to my videos > next to the video you want to change tap the menu icon > edit > select privacy setting If another YouTube user posts a video of you, your team, and/or its participants, or shares your personal information, without your consent, you can request this content to be removed.

Detailed instructions on how to do this are available on the YouTube Safety Centre at https://www.youtube.com/yt/policyandsafety/en/GB/safety.html

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is a service which allows the user to take and edit photos and videos and then post them online. It can also be used to share photos and videos on other popular services such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Foursquare.

To create an Instagram account, the app must be downloaded. Once an Instagram account has been set up, it can also be accessed through the Instagram website on other devices.

Like many other popular apps, Instagram have introduced a ‘live streaming’ feature. This allows users to create and upload videos in real time. Live videos are then instantly uploaded to Instagram and can be seen by a user’s followers (people the user has allowed

National Basketball League Regulations Page 117 of 128 to view their profile if they have a private profile) or by anybody (if they have an open profile). Followers or other unknown users can comment on the videos as they are being viewed.

These videos do not show on the user’s profile. As with all content on Instagram, imagery can be screenshot or recorded and can remain on the internet despite the live video ending.

The default privacy setting within Instagram allows anybody to view and comment on a user’s photos and videos. However, privacy settings allow the user to decide if they want only their ‘followers’ to see their photos and videos, and the comments about them.

Users can use privacy settings to share photos and videos with their followers only.

To set posts to private from the Instagram app:

Apple iOS

1. Go to profile by tapping

2. Tap

3. Turn on the Private Account setting Android

1. Go to profile by tapping

2. Tap

3. Turn on the Private Account setting

Windows Phone

1. Go to profile by tapping

2. Tap Edit Profile 3. Turn on the Posts are Private setting by checking the box and then tap the check mark to save changes

Please note:

• Profile photos, usernames and the bio screen will always be public. • Users can block and remove followers on Instagram. The person who is blocked won’t be informed about this.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 118 of 128 • Shared private Instagram posts sent to social networks (e.g. Twitter) can be seen by the public unless you have set up your privacy settings on those social networks too. • Remember to look out for location-sharing which users can enable with the ‘Add to your Photo Map’ feature. It is set ‘off’ by default. When it is on, this feature publishes the location in which a photo or video was taken, which is risky information to share publicly if children, young people, and adults at risk are involved.

Instagram has developed a filter that will block certain offensive comments on posts and in live video. All other comments will appear as they normally do, and you can still report comments, delete comments, or turn them off.

SNAPCHAT

Snapchat is a mobile application that allows users to create, edit and share pictures and videos. Images sent on Snapchat are often referred to as ‘snaps’. Snapchat’s tag line is, “life’s more fun when you live in the moment”. Thus, Snapchat focuses on capturing ‘moments’ quickly; users take images and videos and send them instantly.

The unique feature of Snapchat is that images disappear with seconds. Snapchat users can specify how many seconds they would like their images to be seen by the recipient(s). This can range from 1 to 10 seconds. After the chosen time, the image will ‘disappear ‘from the recipient’s view. However, this does not necessarily mean that images are permanently deleted. Images can be screen shot by other users or recorded using another device.

Snapchat alerts users when a screenshot has been taken, however this is not always 100% accurate.

Snapchat users can use ‘geofilters’ – these are overlays that include graphics and picture effects that show where a person is in the world. This uses the phone’s geo-location data.

Images and videos can be sent directly to other users via Snapchat. They can also be downloaded and shared on other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

Previously known as ‘Our Stories’, ‘Live Stories’ allow users to take images and videos and create a story with other Snapchat users based on their geographic location. For example, if a Snapchat user is at an event such as a music festival, they can create content that will be added to a collective Snapchat ‘story’ relating to that event. The story is compiled by Snapchat and can only be created when a user’s geo-location is enabled. Stories can be viewed by any Snapchat user even if a contributing user’s profile is ‘private’.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 119 of 128 The brief nature of Snapchat is a fun feature but can mean images make be taken on impulse without thought that people might later regret. Images and videos can be screen shot or recorded with another device, meaning that they may become permanent.

It can be risky to share location using apps especially when children, young people and adults at risk are involved. You should look to keep your geo-location private, especially if children, young people and adults at risk are involved, by going into the app settings and disabling location for Snapchat. Everyone should be aware that:

• If you choose 'Everyone’ for ‘Who Can Contact Me,’ Snapchat users you haven't added will be able to send you Snaps and Chats.

• If you post a Snap to your Story, and then change your settings so only friends can see your Story, others may still be able to see the Snaps you posted before the change.

• Even if Snapchat have not notified you that an image has been screen shot; this may still have occurred. Third party apps have been created that allow users to download software that hide when they have screen shot an image or video.

PERISCOPE

Periscope is a live streaming app, developed by the creators of Twitter to share live, Realtime events and news stories from around the world.

Periscope allows users to broadcast live videos to the public or a ‘group’ (a selected number of chosen users). Live streaming can be both unpredictable and hard to moderate as videos are not edited prior to being posted.

With live streaming, there is no opportunity to pre-record or edit content, therefore it’s important to consider whether there is anything in the video that could enable other users to identify any child, young person or adult at risks’ location or identity.

LIVE STREAMING GAME DAY SET UP

In an ever-changing environment of technology, many clubs are utilising Live Streaming as an option to showcase their league fixtures and in some cases training session for children, especially since the Covid pandemic.

Where possible, we want to have as many live streamed fixtures available for the NBL/ WNBL as possible. There is a dedicated channel via the ‘BE Youtube platform’ on which all Division One Men and Women’s fixtures, plus all NBL/WNBL Finals are streamed. Other clubs in the leagues may wish to live stream via their own clubs platforms, and where applicable, we can add the links to our news releases and advertise on social media.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 120 of 128 If you need any help setting the logistics of Live Streaming, please email [email protected]

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN LIVE STREAMING

Mandatory for all Division One Men and Women’s leagues:

• Good quality footage in HD with focus. • Good streaming angle and not a poor angle i.e. don’t Live Stream in the corner of a venue or at court side view. Being at a high point, near the centre of the court is the best option. • Ensure the full court can be seen and the scoreboard is embedded. • If the scoreboard is not embedded within the stream, please ensure the scoreboard is visible. • Limit obstructions of the view of the camera. • Do not obstruct the run-off space on side-lines and end lines to ensure there is no breach in regulations from standing in the area. • Ensure kit numbers can be seen. • Announcers should have a good understanding of what can and can’t be said and must remain impartial at all times. Please see announcer guidance below. • The person filming the stream should remain silent. • Where possible, the court must be clean with limited court markings. Please see diagram below for the court set up.

• The following should be promoted; -NBL sponsors and partners: Official ball supplier: Wilson -Official floor supplier: Dynamik Sports surfaces -Official scoring provider: Sportserve -Official equipment provider: Ransome Sporting Goods

National Basketball League Regulations Page 121 of 128 MATCH DAY SET UP

GAME ANNOUNCER NOTES

AUDIENCE

The viewers to the live stream are likely to have a reasonable understanding of the game – so whilst nuances of rules or competition structure may need explaining, the basics of the game do not.

The audience for National Basketball League matches on YouTube is likely to be primarily British, however, commentators should remember that YouTube has a global following and some viewers may have English as a second language.

Caution, therefore, should be given to use of British idioms or references that may not be understood by a wider audience. It is not to say that these should not be used, but that they are done so appropriately and/or explained.

Always consider the context of the game. Keep reminding the audience why the game is important, what it means in terms of standings, personal player stats, records, etc.

Note the shot clock on occasions to build excitement and increase the pace of the commentary.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 122 of 128 RAPPORT

A good rapport with any co-commentator is essential and helps provide a different voice. During fluid passages of play, the co-commentator’s input needs to be crisp, interesting and sharp. Long answers risk “crashing” important shots or baskets. But when the ball is out of play, or during time outs, or free throws, there’s more time for the co-commentator to make a point, providing insight to the viewer.

Commentator and co-commentator should ensure they don’t talk over one another with good choreography – you can be active and use your hands either to get a colleague to wrap up or to come in, depending on the circumstances. But the more you work with someone, the better the rhythm will become.

ENTHUSIAM

Basketball England expects the game to be appropriately promoted, irrespective of the outcome and therefore commentators should show the same levels of enthusiasm for both the home and away team. The audience is expecting a neutral commentary bias towards the home team is not acceptable.

If a co-commentator has links to the home team, as a former or injured player for example, it is acceptable for them to refer to the home team as ‘us’ or ‘we’, but it is not acceptable for the lead commentator to do so.

Highlights and clips from games may be used at a later point either on the site or via social media and clips of spectacular plays are enhanced by appropriate commentary to go with them, irrespective of which side completes them.

Commentators are advised not to talk down the game they are covering. ‘We’re at the end of the first quarter and this one is over already’ is essentially telling them to stop watching your coverage.

PREPARATION

It is important for commentators to know the names of players of both sides and have some understanding of the abilities and backgrounds of those players. Again remember the viewer may or may not know players on either team, so calling one team by only their first names and the other by only their surnames is not acceptable.

In general players should be referred to by surname, the exceptions to this could be siblings, players who have been in the league for a long time and/or who have unique first names. It is important to know the relevance of the game to both teams, how it impacts on standings, play- off qualifications etc and also the results of previous meetings from

National Basketball League Regulations Page 123 of 128 this or previous seasons. Likewise former players playing against old teams or team-mates or general information the viewer may not be aware of that will enhance the viewing experience.

Commentators must have an understanding of the competition structures and what outcomes will mean for both clubs eg “a win here sets up a quarter-final with Team X to be played in two weeks time” or “victory for the visitors will move them into the play-off places”.

The opening of the show should be a minimum of 10 minutes long, commentators must ensure that this time is filled appropriately. This may require both commentators to discuss the action coming up, what else is happening in the league, team news etc.

At half time and at the end of the game, commentators should conclude with an appropriate level of wrapping up of the action, including, key moments, celebrations and potential implication of victory/defeat on standings.

Prepping your voice is also a good preparation. Often, it’s not what’s said, but how it’s said. Make sure you have plenty of energy and enthusiasm, so your voice has light and shade. Eat well beforehand, stay hydrated and please refrain from shouting/screaming beforehand, anything that will keep your voice in good condition for the broadcast.

GAME PROMOTION

The commentary is on behalf of National Basketball League and Basketball England and therefore a positive image of the league and the broadcaster should be maintained at all times.

BALANCE

It is important to remember that the commentary is for both teams and the viewers may be supporting either (or neither) team and therefore an appropriate level of balance should be struck.

Whilst you may be commentating on the same team every month, you should remember the audience may not be watching that team every week and will expect a balanced commentary.

In all likelihood there will be a greater proportion of neutral and/or away team supporters watching the game than supporters of the home team.

Again if working with a co-commentator who has a link with the home team, it is important to ensure that a balanced view of the action is given to the viewers.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 124 of 128 It is particularly important to maintain this balance in games that are not close. Whilst commentary teams should try to provide some insight into why team might be winning/ losing, it is not the commentator’s role to be overly effusive or critical.

REFEREEING

Commentators should not overly question or undermine the decisions of the officials. It is the commentator’s role to describe what has been called. Commentators should also have a good understanding of the rules, but remember they are not trained to the same level as the officials calling the game.

If co-commentator questions decisions of referees, the commentator should again provide appropriate balance.

Like players, coaches and commentators, officials will make mistakes, but it is unacceptable to question their integrity or imply that one decision has a disproportionate impact on the outcome.

Commentators should, at all times, retain respect for those playing and coaching the game on both sides. It is unacceptable to denigrate players or coaches of either team, even if they are having a poor game.

Questioning tactical decisions should be done in an appropriate manner and likewise noting poor performance should be made in a suitable way.

FURTHER GUIDANCE & LINKS

Thinkuknow have worked with young people to understand their thoughts around live streaming and they have found that young people often do not realise that live streamed videos can be recorded. Speak to any child, young person or adult at risks’ that you work with to ensure they understand that anything they do online can be recorded without their knowledge or permission.

If you have any concerns about grooming, sexual abuse or exploitation on Facebook or on any online app or site, report to CEOP at: www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre

For more advice and guidance around different apps and websites, please see links below to Thinkuknow and Net Aware:

THINKUKNOW https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/professionals/

NET AWARE www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/?order=title

National Basketball League Regulations Page 125 of 128 For more advice and guidance around child protection and safeguarding in sport, the Child Protection in Sport Unit has advice for all which encompasses a range of different topics: www.thecpsu.org.uk/help-advice/

We endeavour for this guide to be up to date as possible, however due to the changing nature of social media, the information and advice in this guide may date over time.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 126 of 128 APPENDIX 13 - PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

Na&onal Basketball League MEN

NBL Division 1 NBL Division 2 & 3 Licence Type Na&onality Category Play Register Play Register

National Senior Player (18+) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Type 1 - Visa or work Senior Player 2 4 1 3 permit required Non-National Type 2 - Settled Status/Pre-settled Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Status/ILR

Na&onal Basketball League WOMEN

WNBL Division 1 WNBL Division 2 Licence Type Na&onality Category Play Register Play Register

National Senior Player (18+) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Type 1 - Visa or work Senior Player 1 3 1 3 permit required

Non-National Type 2 - Settled Status/Pre-settled Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Status/ILR

Migrants in amateur leagues The definitions of a migrant playing in amateur leagues (WNBL 1 & 2, NBL 2 & 3) under the visa that enables them to be in the UK has been updated as follows: Government innovation rules and guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-introduction Important definitions and considerations are as follows: “Amateur” means a person who engages in a sport or creative activity solely for personal enjoyment and who is not seeking to derive a living from the activity. “Professional Sportsperson” means a person who is one or more of the following: (a) currently providing services as a sportsperson, or is playing or coaching in any capacity, at a professional or semi-professional level of sport (whether paid or unpaid); or (b) currently receiving payment, including payment in kind, for playing or coaching, and that payment covers all, or the majority of, their costs for travelling to, and living in, the UK, or has received such payment within the previous 4 years; or (c) currently registered to a professional or semi-professional sports team or has been so registered within the previous four years (this includes all academy and development team age groups); or

National Basketball League Regulations Page 127 of 128 (d) has represented their nation or national team within the previous two years, including all youth and development age groups from under-17s upwards; or (e) has represented their state or regional team within the previous two years, including all youth and development age groups from under-17s upwards; or (f) has an established international reputation in their chosen field of sport; or (g) engages an agent or representative, with the aim of finding opportunities as a sportsperson, and/or developing a current or future career as a sportsperson, or has engaged such an agent in the last 12 months; or (h) is providing services as a sportsperson or coach, unless they are doing so as an “Amateur” in a charity event; or (i) is providing services as a sportsperson or coach, unless they are doing so as a student who is studying a course. Should a player meet any of the criteria above as a “Professional Sportsperson”, they will be unable to register for any league considered as amateur.

National Basketball League Regulations Page 128 of 128